Illinois budget includes money for Washington Park to restore police and fire departments
Washington Park will receive a portion of the state’s $46 billion budget to help recover from a fire that displaced the village’s fire, police and public works departments.
The budget, which Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed on Wednesday, includes $600,000 from the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to specifically help the city with costs related to its police and fire departments, including the purchase of a new fire station and building rehab.
Washington Park Mayor Leonard Moore could not be immediately reached for comment.
Last fall, a three-alarm fire broke out at the village building at 5621 Forest Boulevard, which housed its police, fire and public works departments, damaging equipment and records.
Moore and other city officials hosted a press conference earlier this year to demand state help for restoring the building, which Moore said was uninsured.
At the press conference, he said the police department was operating out of Washington Park Senior Citizen’s Hall on Park Avenue, and public works meets in the parking lot of city hall. He specifically called on state representatives LaToya Greenwood (D-East St. Louis), Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) and Sen. Chris Belt (D-Swansea) to help the city, which has minimal resources. Over half of residents in Washington Park live below the federal poverty line, according to 2020 Census estimates.
“We need help now because if they prolong it, sooner or later, they’re just going to push us under the rug and completely forget about us,” Moore said at the February press conference. “Three years from now, we’ll still be standing in front of this building saying that we’re looking for help.”
Following the press conference, in an emailed response to Moore’s comments, Belt stated the three lawmakers allocated $200,000 for the city. A representative from Belt’s office said Wednesday that the senator helped secure the $600,000 in state funds included in the budget Pritzker signed.
Earlier this month, a Pennsylvania fire department donated two fire trucks to the city.
“We are very grateful to get these trucks,” Ronnie Harris, assistant fire chief for Washington Park, said. “They will make it better for us to protect the citizens of Washington Park. They deserve everything we can do for them to make the village safe for them.
The state budget for the 2023 fiscal year begins on July 1.
