Kankakee resident urges fee waiver and clearer ComEd coordination after March house fire

Michelle Howard, a Kankakee resident, told the Kankakee City Public Safety meeting on April 8 that her family was displaced after a March 3 house fire and that city permitting and utility coordination added to the burden of recovery.

"We had to pay a $50 fee to get that permit. When you have a fire like that, and if I was a single mom, you may not have that $50 to spare," Howard said, adding that the inspection-and-permit timeline would have left her without electricity for about a week and a half if a licensed electrician had not acted quickly.

Howard urged the city to create a hardship or forgiveness process for the $50 permit charge and to improve communication with ComEd so residents returning after a fire do not face delays in service restoration. "It's just a little bit broken," she said.

Mayor (unnamed) and other officials responded during the meeting that the city would not leave displaced residents without immediate shelter or basic needs and noted existing practices such as hotel vouchers and Red Cross notification.

"We notify the Red Cross when we have any fire. They can work with them. They give them vouchers," a fire official said during the discussion of immediate post-fire assistance. City staff also described an "after the fire" bag the city currently distributes with basic supplies and information for displaced households.

City officials said Director Nelson has been asked to pursue changes in code procedures. The mayor told the meeting he had spoken with Director Nelson after a separate economic development meeting and that staff would meet about expediting permit handling for emergency fire situations; a staff member said that would be discussed with code on Friday following the April 8 meeting.

City officials made clear that once a damaged property is returned to its owner, insurance and private contractors generally control repairs and boarding-up, but they said the city will try to create a contact list and clearer handoff process so homeowners can move more quickly through recovery.

Howard also praised the first responders who attended her fire, saying they made her family feel protected. "The teams that you sent out to my house ... we felt very safe. We appreciate all of the work you guys did," she said.

Ending: Mayor and staff indicated they will pursue a code-level pathway to expedite permits and evaluate a hardship waiver tied specifically to fire incidents; no formal ordinance or fee-waiver policy was adopted at the April 8 meeting.