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Round Lake Park studying local hearing process

Round Lake Park is exploring whether to offer a village-run hearing process, instead of using Lake County's court system, to anyone who wants to contest local ordinance violations.

Several suburbs now have what is called an administrative adjudication court for ordinance violations, which run the gamut from a dog barking too loudly to poorly maintained property. Such hearings also are offered by towns with red-light cameras.

A hearing officer paid by a municipality presides over the cases. The hearing officers typically are retired judges or attorneys.

Round Lake Park Police Chief George Filenko said village officials are in the early stages of exploring administrative adjudication. He said the idea would be to limit local hearings to ordinance violations.

"We're actually studying different municipalities and how they're handling ordinance violations," Filenko said Tuesday.

Someone accused of an ordinance violation in Round Lake Park who wants to fight the matter now must turn to a judge in a Lake County circuit court branch. That would end if Round Lake Park starts an administrative adjudication court.

Filenko said Round Lake Park doesn't have a timeline for when a decision should be reached on whether to offer local hearings.

Criticism has surfaced over towns being in charge of the hearing process for violations. In 2007, some West Chicago residents issued objections, saying there is a conflict of interest with the city paying a hearing officer to decide on whether an ordinance violation fine should stick.