South Chicago Heights Hikes Vehicle Towing Fees

The South Chicago Heights Village Board raised towing fees for the second time in three years at their Monday meeting.

The fee for towing a vehicle within city limits was raised from $350 to $500, which puts the fee schedule “in line with surrounding communities,” Mayor David Owen said. The board also said the fee hike was necessary to keep up with rising costs.

In other business, the police department received grant money from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board that will allow it to purchase an in-car video camera.

The grant money is financing the purchase of 12 cameras, “and we got one of them,” said Police Chief William Joyce. The cost per camera is $4,782; the village’s police department already has one such camera in use. The in-car cameras are used to record traffic stops, prisoners in custody, and other situations during a patrol officer’s shift.

Also during the meeting, Finance director John Dolasinski was appointed to the Mass Transit District Board. Dolasinski will be South Chicago Heights representative on the board, which will oversee the Southeast Commuter Rail Transit District. The district is meant to help build the SouthEast Service Line, a proposed Metra line connecting roughly 20 communities with downtown Chicago.

Dolasinski doesn’t live in the village, but transit district rules allow his appointment, Owen said. Dolasinki’s background makes him well-qualified for the position, since “the first five years are going to involve money and financial (planning),” Owen said.