Lisle may strap Denver Boot on parking scofflaws
The Denver Boot may soon be coming to Lisle.
Earlier this week, Lisle interim Police Chief Kevin Licko introduced a potential "Vehicle Immobilization Program" to the village board of trustees. Licko said the Denver Boot would help Lisle Police to collect unpaid tickets for parking violations, which have recently skyrocketed.
"Officers have written more tickets in 2022 than in 2019 to 2021 combined," Licko said.
From Jan. 1 to March 14, Licko said Lisle police issued 712 parking tickets with 430 going unpaid. By contrast, 169 parking tickets were issued in 2020 with 42 going unpaid. And 177 tickets were issued in 2021 with 70 going unpaid.
"Our records department tells me they've never seen a number that high of people choosing not to pay," Licko said. "Many of these are repeat offenders."
Licko then outlined a three-phase procedure before a Denver Boot could be deployed.
Parking violators would initially be warned with late notices and hearing officer dates in the mail for each unpaid ticket. In the second phase, the registered vehicle owner would be given a 14-day notice via certified mail to pay the balance for the five outstanding violations or to request a hearing.
Only then would a vehicle get a Denver Boot and then later towed. To retrieve a vehicle, the owner must pay the outstanding parking violation balance on top of towing and storage fees.
Licko suggested a 24-hour period between a vehicle being booted and its towing. But Lisle trustees appeared more inclined to make that period last 48 hours, adding that winter conditions could shorten that time if a vehicle impedes snow removal.
Lisle Mayor Chris Pecak suggested the recent increase in parking violations could be tied to residents in apartments who choose not to pay their complex's steep parking fees for a second or third parking space.
"We don't want to put ourselves in the position of being the enforcers of somebody's business plan," Pecak said. "When there's plenty of parking on a property, but nobody wants to pay the going rate, that problem is being diverted into the lap of the village. That should be the problem of the development."
Trustees Stephen Winz and Mary Jo Mullen shared concerns that the Denver Boot program would unfairly target residents who are financially struggling. But they also agreed with the majority of the board that habitual parking violators should not be allowed to flout the law.
Though an ordinance for the Denver Boot has yet to go into effect, Licko said Lisle police would be contacting 32 known "chronic violators" now to warn them of the likely impending Denver Boot arrival.
"We are really trying to get the word out - educate - because we do want to try to avoid this at all costs," Licko said. "But at the end of the day, we have to enforce the ordinances that are in place, and this is a tool on our tool belt to do that."