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Village approves contract for adjudication hearings and updates code for post-hearing penalty escalations
Summary
Board authorized a contract with a hearing officer for local adjudication of ordinances and approved code amendments to delay penalty escalations until after an adjudication hearing; trustees set a court-cost fee and staff will review program after launch.
The Village Board authorized the village manager to enter an agreement for contractual administrative hearing officer services and approved city-code changes to align citation penalties with the new adjudication program.
Staff recommended selecting the proposed hearing officer after reviewing two proposals. The village will schedule hearings the second Thursday of each month at 2 p.m. and allow a written appeal process for people who cannot attend in person. The village asked trustees to set a court-cost fee for adjudication hearings; trustees discussed $25 or $50 and ultimately indicated $50 would cover a larger share of costs. Staff said they will review program costs and outcomes after an initial six-month period and report back to the board.
Alongside the adjudicator contract, the board approved changes to village code that preserve the initial low or default fine for at least 21 days so a respondent has time to pursue administrative adjudication. Staff explained the revisions move the existing escalation dates (day 11 and day 21) to operate after an adjudication order rather than before it, ensuring penalty increases do not apply before a person—s opportunity for a hearing. Trustees discussed fairness and enforceability; staff said escalations will apply only if the adjudication officer finds a respondent liable and the finding is not paid.
Trustees also discussed enforcement practicality, staffing constraints and outreach; several board members said they favored an educational approach to encourage compliance, and staff said social-media reminders and informational materials would be part of program start-up. The board approved both the hearing-officer contract and the ordinance amendments.
