Carpentersville tables vehicle ordinance

The Carpentersville village board appears to have changed direction regarding the parking of certain school buses on village streets and driveways when trustees tabled an ordinance that would have allowed for the vehicles to be parked on school district property.

That's because both Barrington Community School District 220 and Community Unit Community Unit District 300 in Carpentersville both rejected requests to park the vehicles on school property due to insurance liability issues.

After hearing from two school bus drivers and the owner of a large van that violates the current ordinance, trustees voted 6 to 1 to table the ordinance prohibiting the parking and storage of any vehicle weighing more than 8,000 pounds within a residentially zoned area.

Instead, trustees directed village attorney James Rhodes to draft an ordinance exempting certain sizes of school bus from the ordinance.

"When they removed the ability to park on school property, that made a difference to me," said Trustee Kay Teeter, who initially rejected an exemption. "We need to restrict scrappers and commercial vehicles. But school buses are providing a service to our residents."

Linnea Jaquet, who drives a special needs van and has parked it in her driveway for 11 years, said while the bus drivers are relieved that the board is willing to consider an exemption, many vehicle owners will be caught off guard.

"The code is not written to exclude commercial vehicles," Jaquet said. "It is any vehicle over 8,000 pounds. I don't know what the private resident will do because their primary mode of transportation is over the weight limit."

Village President Bill Sarto, who presided over his final meeting Tuesday night, supported a waiver for school buses.

"These buses provide a real benefit to the community," said Sarto, who called school buses 'a beacon of safety' for youngsters. "We should be encouraging the use of these buses."