Orland Park Village Board members held off Monday on plans to bring speed cameras to the village but will crack down on teen takeovers by fining parents and guardians.
After proposing multiple public safety policy changes Sept. 21, the board agreed Monday to take more time before purchasing speed cameras.
As state law prohibits municipalities outside Chicago from issuing traffic citations based on speed camera data, Orland Park attorneys plan to look closer at officials’ plan to issue fines under the village’s nuisance ordinance.
“There were a lot of people that were in favor of the speed enforcement cameras,” board member John Lawler said. “So it’s not gone, we’re just tabling it for now until we do more research.”
The village planned to purchase and install two cameras from Itasca-based company DacraTech near Carl Sandburg High School and another two near Orland District 135 schools on West 151st Street.
Board members said a public survey sent out Oct. 1 showed strong community support for the cameras and other proposed safety measures.
“It seems like almost everybody answered ‘in favor’ for all of these,” member Michael Milani said. “These all sound like something that the public want — they realize that there are some issues that we need to address.”
Teen and street takeovers
The board moved forward with other changes to the village code, including measures to prevent street and teen takeovers. The village will now hold parents responsible if they fail “to make all reasonable, necessary and effective efforts” to prevent their children from engaging in either activity, following in the footsteps of other municipalities.
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Parents and guardians can be fined jointly or separately from children who engage in large disturbances that threaten the safety of residents, damage public or private property, disrupt governmental services and place extraordinary demands on law enforcement and emergency personnel, according to the ordinance.
In response to such disturbances of 20 or more people, riots or illegal assemblies of three or more people, or any natural disasters, the mayor and police chief can now declare a civil emergency and establish a curfew. A change to the previously proposed ordinance requires the civil emergency be extended, if needed, during the following Village Board meeting.
Village Manager George Koczwara said in the case of a teen takeover, a set curfew wouldn’t necessarily apply to the entire village.
“It’s a surgical tool for the police,” he said. “In all likelihood, if there’s a teen takeover, it’s happening somewhere like the mall or some shopping area.”
Another new ordinance gives police authority to tow or impound any vehicles involved in “nuisance parties” or street takeovers and fine drivers between $75 and $1,000. It also establishes a permitting process for classic car shows.
The village defines nuisance parties as gatherings on public or private company where one of 12 conditions is met, such as illegal parking, obstruction of public rights of way, property destruction, unreasonably loud noise and littering.
Boley Farm roof replacement
Board members held off on a proposed $365,000 contract to replace roofs and cupolas for the historic Boley Farm on 151st Street, after several board members expressed concerns about the cost.
Koczwara said the village identified the need for roof repairs through a 2021 study. The nearly 6-acre property includes a barn, historic outbuildings and a seasonal farm stand ran by Dean’s Greens.
Board members Lawler and William Healy pointed out the village only received one bid to complete the project and asked staff to take more time to scrutinize the contract.
“I think we definitely need to look at some other bids and push back on some of these folks,” Lawler said.