Administrative Law Judge John Toscas presided over hearings on code and ordinance violations in the Village of Palos Park on June 4, 2025, issuing findings of liable and assessing fines in multiple cases and scheduling a new hearing date of July 2, 2025 for one withdrawn plea.

Why it matters: the rulings enforce village ordinances on traffic and building permits, impose fines residents must pay within 30 days or see penalties double, and underscore the village’s $750-per-day penalty for unpermitted work when applied as written by ordinance.

Toscas opened the session by advising defendants of procedural rights, including the right to counsel and the right to appeal to the Circuit Court of Cook County within 35 days. He told one defendant, “If you want to withdraw your plea based on what your sister said when she was here, then I'm gonna set it up for another court date,” and warned that failure to appear at the new date could result in the maximum fine being imposed.

The hearing produced several formal outcomes: a finding of liable for negligent driving with a $250 fine and a separate finding of liable for speeding in a construction zone with a $300 fine for a defendant identified in court as Abdallah/Azgul (transcript name variants); a reduced $200 fine for a defendant who disputed a 74 mph radar reading in a 45 mph zone; a $100 fine for a defendant who pleaded liable and was told the violation would not be sent to the motor-vehicle record; and a $60 fine for operating a vehicle with expired registration. A separate building-permit case involving exterior lights resulted in an agreed one-time $500 fine after the defendant later submitted a permit; Toscas explained the village’s ordinary penalty for work without a permit is $750 per day but the prosecutor and court accepted the reduced one-time penalty in that case.

One defendant who did not appear when his sister had previously appeared in his stead told the judge he had not authorized a guilty plea; Toscas allowed withdrawal of that plea and scheduled a new hearing for July 2, 2025, noting, “If you're not, I'm gonna enter the, the, a finding of liable and you're gonna get the maximum fine.”

The village prosecutor introduced evidence in multiple matters, including photographs of property damage in one case and officer testimony and radar readings in traffic matters. Toscas relied on that evidence in issuing findings and fines, and repeatedly reminded defendants that fines must be paid within 30 days or will double.

Clerical and procedural notes recorded in the hearing: one matter was listed as a contest-by-mail and resulted in a finding of liable with a $60 fine; another defendant who had trouble reading paperwork was given time after the hearing to meet with the clerk about payment and next steps. The judge closed the session with the administrative record reflected in findings and orders entered that day.

Appeals and next steps: Toscas told defendants they could appeal his decisions to the Circuit Court of Cook County within 35 days. For the case in which a plea was withdrawn, the new hearing date is July 2, 2025. Defendants were advised to contact village staff or the clerk for payment arrangements; those arrangements were not decided in the hearing record.