Resident urges trustees to address parking, trash and overcrowding at Smith Hill rental homes

Susan Roberts, a longtime Paramount resident, told the Village of Paramount Board of Trustees at its March 3 meeting that several rental properties on Smith Hill Road are creating parking and trash problems that she says are hurting neighborhood appearance.

"I live at 75 Smith Hill Road," Roberts said during public comment, describing three houses between Amanda Court and Churchill where she counted multiple vehicles — four at one house, seven at another and "there were 9 cars parked there" at a third — some parked on lawns and driveways. She also said garbage cans and recycling were frequently left at the curb outside scheduled collection days.

The complaint focused on visual blight and what Roberts characterized as likely over-occupancy at multiple rental units. "The garbage cans are out, they never pull them in," she said, and noted recycling day is Wednesday but that bins often remain out for days.

A trustee responding to Roberts acknowledged the concern but cautioned the village has limited enforcement tools. "This is something actually that bothers everybody, and we are doing things to try to fix it. We're a little limited as a village of what we can do," the trustee said.

The trustees did not adopt any new ordinance or take formal enforcement action during the meeting. Roberts and other commenters urged the board to pursue code-enforcement or policy changes; trustees said they will continue looking into remedies and follow up through staff.

The matter arose during the public comment portion of the meeting and was not part of a formal agenda item. Trustees did not record a vote on any ordinance or enforcement action at the March 3 session.