Lincoln Park council adopts 'disruptive behavior' civil infraction, approves AMI contract and joins PFAS settlement

The Lincoln Park City Council on Nov. 10 adopted an ordinance creating a municipal civil infraction for disruptive behavior and approved several water and sewer initiatives, including awarding an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) contract to Core & Main and authorizing engineering for lead service and sewer rehabilitation projects.

City Attorney Zelnick told the council the change "decriminalizes to some extent some disturbing the peace offenses, which were once misdemeanors," and explained the proposed section would allow prosecutors discretion to amend a first offense to a civil infraction "which ... doesn't go on their permanent record." The ordinance, labeled in the reading as 666.10 "disruptive behavior," defines disruptive conduct (loud, boisterous, quarrelsome, vulgar or threatening acts that police determine are not criminal) as a municipal civil infraction punishable by a fine…