Will County Gazette

The Village Board of Shorewood discussed a new ordinance regarding administrative compliance tickets during the board's Jan. 10 meeting.

Mayor Clarence C. DeBold introduced the ordinance, which aims to simplify the fines process involving minor infractions by making it possible to deal with minor infractions through an appointed administrative adjudicator rather than going through the court system. That would also allow citizens to pay a pre-determined fine before the adjudication, according to village attorney Dave Silverman. The process will be simplified for both residents and authorities, he added.

"There's a lot of discretion left to the person on the street [either building department or police officer]," Silverman said. "And again, it's really a compliance process that gives them a little tweak with the fine, but you really want to get them into compliance. And they think this will be the best way to do it."

The tickets or fines are ones that can be issued by the city for minor violations such as municipal code or ordinance violations, such as parking fees, noise issues or littering. Silverman said the fines are as little as $25, but the village often sees little of the funds from the fines due to court fees and costs. 

Under the proposed ordinance, Silverman explained, the adjudicator would come to the village about once a month to hear the cases of residents who wanted to dispute the tickets, rather than going through the court system to talk to a judge. The small fines could be paid in advance before a hearing date, or talk to the adjudicator, who could make a ruling on fine amounts up to $750, Silverman added.

Police Chief Philip Arnold said hearings with the adjudicator typically would be late in the afternoon or early evening to make it easier for people who work regular business hours to meet with the adjudicator, also removing the need to go to the courthouse. 

The board discussed some of other factors in the ordinances, such as court fees and fine amounts, but set a goal to have the system put in place by April.