Village updates code regarding business and licensing regulations

With a village code that has gone largely unexamined since its creation about 60 years ago, the Forest Park Village Council approved new language relating to construction contractors and construction issues that now brings the code in sync with current City Hall practices.

At the June 10 village council meeting, the four commissioners and Mayor Rory Hoskins voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance amending the Forest Park Village Code.

In addition to a general modification of the language — since the code has likely not been changed since it was written in the 1960s, according to Steve Glinke, director of public health and safety — the updated code reflects increased building permit fees.

“We had an outdated system for collecting permit fees,” said Village Administrator Rachell Entler.

This system included separate licensing fees of $25 for each station and a $100 annual fee for contractors. However, over time, many contractors increased licensing fees for individual positions, reaching an annual license fee and creating additional work for record keeping staff.

Entler said the village’s consultant compared individual and annual licensing fees to those charged in other municipalities and that they were lower in Forest Park than in many others. As a result, the municipality has increased the fee for an individual work permit and will probably also increase the annual fee in the future.

“Along the way, they tweaked some of the wording in the ordinance to align with the building department’s processes,” Entler said of other code updates aimed at modernizing it.

Title 3, Chapter 5, Article D of the Municipal Code lists the types of construction contractors who may construct, alter, or demolish buildings under a permit issued by the municipality. Officials added “excavation/paving contractor” and “roofing contractor” to that list. Also removed were “plastering and lathing contractors,” “painting and finishing contractors,” and “tile, marble and mosaic contractors.”

Glinke said the village has not required permits for plastering contractors for about 30 years. Other amendments also reflect routine village practices rather than what is written in the code.

For example, another amendment would require construction contractors to apply for a permit from the municipality, rather than from Public Property Commissioner Jessica Voogd. But Glinke has always been involved in the permitting process.

License approval is no longer the responsibility of the commissioner of public property and instead falls to Glinke, who, under the updated code, can now approve a license without a prior recommendation to the village board. However, Glinke has never made recommendations to the village board in the past, instead approving licenses himself.

Fee changes and amendments to reflect how the village facilitates permitting are just the beginning of changes to Forest Park’s code.

“It’s something we should probably do more often,” Entler said. “This is one of the places to start.”