Buffalo Grove may raise fines for parking in handicap spots

A proposal to increase the financial pain of drivers who park in handicapped spots got a mixed reaction Monday from the Buffalo Grove village board.

Under the proposal, the village would raise the fine from its current $250 — the amount currently levied by the state — to the maximum $350 allowed under state statute.

Village Manager Dane Bragg said the hike was suggested by the village’s Commission for Residents with Disabilities, but voiced some misgivings about an increase.

For one thing, he said, existing signage in the village is consistent with where the state sets its fine.

“There is no confusion with our area businesses. $250 is $250,” he said.

If the fine were excessively high, Bragg added, police might be more likely to issue a warning rather than write a ticket. According to the village, Buffalo Grove police issued 302 tickets for handicap parking violations in 2010 and 400 in 2009.

Village Trustee Jeffrey Braiman said he believe $250 is a big enough deterrent, and the cost of changing signs may be prohibitive.

“As I go through the village, I don’t see a lot of areas where the (handicap) parking spots are full anyway,” he added.

Village President Elliott Hartstein suggested that there could be an increased fine for a second violation, and was assured by Village Attorney William Raysa that there is statutory authority to raise penalties for repeat offenders.

While Police Chief Steve Balinski agreed that a fine increase would not serve as a deterrent, Trustee Beverly Sussman argued on its behalf.

“Handicapped spots are for people with disabilities,” she said. Most of these people could not go food shopping. They could not go to the doctor. They could not pick up their dry cleaning. They could not do many of the things that most people take for granted unless they had that spot that they could use when they needed it.

“Until you personally have the need for that spot, you do not realize how important that spot is to the everyday daily living of a person who needs that spot,” Sussman added.

She suggested that while $250 may deter some, it might not go far enough for all.

“Perhaps if you raise it another hundred dollars, maybe they won’t do it,” she said.

The issue will go back to the residents with disabilities commission for further discussion.