Residents report rat infestation near Villa Park train station; village outlines multi-department response

Residents at the Village of Villa Park’s Feb. 4 “Coffee with the Board” meeting pressed trustees to address what they described as a growing rat infestation near the train station.

An email from resident Christine Murphy, read into the record by a trustee, described photos and videos of numerous rats and urged an “aggressive and swift” public-information and operational response. The email said village staff met the next day to coordinate actions and advised residents about sanitation steps they could take to help contain the infestation. “By combining protective community engagement, strict sanitation practices, and professional intervention, Villa Park can significantly reduce rat populations and prevent future outbreaks,” the email said.

Trustees detailed the steps the village is taking. Manager Rivas and staff told the meeting that the communications specialist had posted guidance on the village website and social media; public works would contact multi-unit buildings to enforce dumpster contracts with vendor LRS; code enforcement and community and economic development staff would cite health and sanitary violations; and the police department would address abandoned vehicles that could be breeding grounds. Parks staff said they would keep public areas around the station clean and explore environmentally safe substances. The village also said it was bringing in a local pest-control consultant to help craft an approach.

Several residents urged the board to hold private property owners accountable when derelict lots or piles of construction debris attract rodents. Trustees said legal staff (Attorney Ryan) had been asked to review enforcement options for properties that pose a public-health hazard and that the village would seek to bill property owners for abatement where allowed. Manager Rivas told the meeting that staff had called a meeting of responsible departments the day after residents raised the complaint and that some actions — outreach to building owners, additional garbage pickups and monitoring changes — were already under way.

Property owners and trustees also detailed complementary public-safety steps at the adjacent train station: the village has installed cameras that police can monitor, and staff are preparing a heat map of reported infestations, the board said. However, trustees cautioned enforcement can be complicated when infestation sources lie on private parcels or in neighboring jurisdictions; they said the village would coordinate with county health and emergency management as needed.

Next steps: the board committed to follow up with Attorney Ryan on legal remedies for problem properties, asked staff to document and publish updates on actions taken and pledged to notify residents when the pest-control consultant’s recommendations are available. Residents were advised to continue using the online request form and to forward evidence to the village for follow-up.