Council members on July 3 passed an ordinance appointing members of the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) to act collectively as the finder of fact in the village’s newly created civil enforcement venue — described in the meeting as the “clean court.”

The ordinance, introduced in new business, says the BZA will serve a dual role: continuing its zoning duties while also determining liability in civil code‑enforcement cases heard in the clean court. The council discussed whether the ordinance should be an emergency measure; staff said there were no citations pending that required immediate effect but that suspending the rules would allow implementation sooner. "We're going to have a quasi jury that will determine facts for civil violations in the clean court," one staff presenter said.

Council moved to suspend the rules to expedite adoption; the motion to suspend rules was made by Council Member Meister and seconded by Council Member Angeline and passed on a 5–0 roll call. Council then voted to adopt the ordinance; the adoption vote passed 5–0. Council and legal staff said the ordinance ties the BZA appointments and their terms to the statutory guidelines for BZA appointments and that appointees will be sworn for the clean court function.

The mayor and legal adviser noted the BZA would receive separate oaths for the clean court role and that terms would run concurrent with the BZA statutory terms. During public comment a resident asked whether the village intended citations to be a revenue source; staff responded that the stated goal was compliance and abating blight, not generating revenue, and that the village recently appropriated $10,000 to abate properties and that a county 1% loan program exists to help residents make repairs.

Ending: With the ordinance adopted and rules suspended, council directed staff and legal counsel to finalize standard citation forms and implementation steps for the clean court and to swear appointed members in for the clean court role.