Wauconda leaders calling dibs on village hall parking spots
If you've surreptitiously been parking in spots reserved for elected officials at Wauconda's village hall, your impersonation days may soon be over.
Officials have drafted formal rules that save those spots for the town's leaders.
The board reviewed the proposal Tuesday night and could approve it July 1.
The L-shaped parking lot at village hall, 101 N. Main St., has room for 29 cars. Signs at eight spots proclaim they're reserved for the mayor, clerk and trustees on Tuesdays between 5 and 8 p.m., when the board and its committees typically meet.
But there is no ordinance associated with the regulation, and as such police can't ticket violators. And there have been plenty of violations, officials said.
Employees of several area businesses have been known to park in the lot, Village Administrator Doug Maxeiner wrote in a memo to the board.
Mayor Frank Bart said he's occasionally pulled into the lot for a meeting and found a car already in his reserved spot.
"It's no big deal," Bart said. "I just park somewhere else."
Still, having a reserved parking spot is one of the job's few perks, Bart said.
Codifying the reserved spots would allow police enforcement, Maxeiner said.
Eight spaces for would be reserved for the mayor, clerk and trustees - but only on meeting nights.
"The other nights of the week, it's not an issue at all," Trustee Chuck Black said.
Spots also would be reserved on Tuesday nights for the village attorney and village engineer.
Information on the potential fines for violators wasn't immediately available.
Additionally, four spaces would be marked for 30-minute parking during business hours. Limiting the parking duration at those spots, which are closest to the front door, would improve convenience for visitors to village hall.
"With four spots there, there should always be one open," Black said.
Two spaces near the front of the building that are marked for people with disabilities would remain in place.