Wheeling officials can now issue tickets for minor code violations instead of taking property owners to court, which the village hopes will promote faster compliance.
Under the old ordinance, code violations would carry fines of $50 to $500 and require the owner to appear in court.
The Village Board voted to create a lesser penalty, a $25 citation that would increase to $35 if the violation is not corrected in 10 days.
Regular fines and penalties can still apply if violations go uncorrected, Village Manager Craig G. Anderson said.
The policy will apply mostly to “property maintenance issues such as if the weeds are too high or grass is too high,” Anderson said. “The whole idea is to encourage compliance.”
In other action the board abolished its 22-year-old special sign district ordinance. The law required uniformity in the size, color and style of business signs within specified areas such as shopping centers.
Trustees agreed that the ordinance had been rendered useless because numerous variations had been granted to franchises wanting to keep signs consistent with their corporate standards.
