Reasons for More Towing, Reviews and A New Murphy

Updated at 2:30 p.m.: Village manager Paul Grimes said Tuesday possession has been stricken from the tow code additions completely. Police Chief Tim McCarthy is not expected to come back before the village's public safety committee with a possession amendment, as previously reported.

Increased Reasons for Car Impounding

The number of reasons Orland Park police can tow your car has gone up.

Adults ticketed for public indecency or who abandon their car at the scene of an accident involving death, injury or car damage must now pay $500 punishment to retrieve their car from an impound lot, as will minors who consume a drop of alcohol and get behind the wheel.

Police Chief Tim McCarthy told village trustees last month that all of these reasons are supported by new state laws.

McCarthy’s initial proposal would have towed the cars of minors who were in possession of alcohol, even though they hadn’t touched it. Trustee James Dodge wondered if that was excessive and trustee Patricia Gira thought it unfair.

It was stricken from the code completely.

Independent Staff Review

The village will hire an outside company to take an objective look at its staff and figure out where weaknesses lay.

Village manager Paul Grimes said the village has reduced its workforce significantly over the last several years, though the cuts weren’t always balanced by department.

“The consultant might give us some recommendations, some ideas for how we can work a bit smarter,” he said, “given that we’re delivering basically the same level of services with a 10-percent smaller work force.”

“It’s a good thing to have someone come in who has knowledge of the best practices in the industry,” he noted. “Sometimes we get in silos working in our own organization.”

For this purpose, $40,000 has been budgeted. A bid should be announced in the coming months, and the review is expected to begin in May. Grimes said it has been about 10 years since an independent review was done.

Other Approvals, Appointment

• The resolution
• The annexation and rezoning ordinances
• The limit on two types of village liquor licenses was decreased to reflect several businesses which recently closed by will or by force. Class A licenses, a group that included Gino’s East, fell from 61 to 57. Class B licenses, which included United Liquor, dropped from 17 to 14.
• The mayor appointed Laura Murphy to the village’s Plan Commission, a seven member board that reviews—among other things—construction plans and special use permits before they go to the committee level. Her first commission meeting is March 7, the day after her appointment.