Property owners to pay more in Wheaton graffiti proposal

Property owners who get tagged with graffiti in Wheaton will soon be asked to get rid of it much quicker or pay stiffer penalties.

After what one councilman called a rash of vandalism on the city's east side, the Wheaton City Council considered changes to its graffiti ordinance that increases the minimum fines for violating the city's ordinance from $50 to $200 and requires property owners to remove the markings within 10 days.

The current ordinance gives owners 30 days.

Councilman Tom Mouhelis said increased gang activity in some areas of the city pushed him to introduce the changes. He said the aim is to remove the tags as quickly as possible in order to reduce the gangs' perceived claims to the areas they vandalize.

“Once they put it on there, it gives them the thought that this is their turf,” Mouhelis said. “This change ensures this does not occur.”

Although the amendments have been pushed forward to the next stage before implementation, Councilman Phil Suess disagreed with the revisions, saying the 10-day period unfairly punishes home owners.

“We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the property owners,” he said. “If it happens to residents' property, it appears that the resident is the bad guy because they haven't cleaned it up in 10 days.”

Suess recommended an adjustment to either 15 days or 10 business days. However, his suggestion was rejected and the original amendment moved forward.

A provision in the ordinance requires anyone who is convicted of violating the graffiti ordinance to reimburse homeowners who pay for restoring their property. Mouhelis said the police department has a list of companies that specialize in graffiti removal.

Mayor Mike Gresk said the amendment was fairly routine.

“There is a need in the community to respond to it,” he said. “But it's simply a text amendment.”