Mayor's Messages

News Archives

Opinions

Agenda

Click here or on the image above to update your information so that you may be properly notified by your local 911 Emergency Center in the event of an emergency situation.

<< Prev  Next >>

City readies database to implement crime-free housing rules

Posted on 2008-07-10 09:36:02 CDT

Plans to begin training landlords and city officials about the crime-free rental ordinance in Chicago Heights are moving forward.

The ordinance, a set of rules and regulations designed to hold landlords more accountable for the behavior of their tenants, was adopted by the city council this spring and is set to officially take effect Jan. 1.

Police officer Tim Agee, coordinator of the program, said during a briefing to city officials Monday that approximately 5,000 rental units have been identified in the city during the past few months. The properties, he said, have been entered into databases.
read more...

tell a friend

Seniors to get break on fee

Posted on 2008-07-10 09:34:49 CDT

Chicago Heights Community service charge to be cut in half


Senior citizens in Chicago Heights will get significant relief from the city's community service fee, a monthly tax attached to residents' water bills that was doubled a year ago to the dismay of many residents.

The city council Monday unanimously voted to lower by half the $25.50 monthly fee for senior citizens who pay their water bills.
read more...

tell a friend

Chicago Heights Officials try to keep up with unkempt lawns

Posted on 2008-06-27 11:27:34 CDT

'Grass grows faster than the legal process'

The plethora of vacant, boarded-up and foreclosed homes in Chicago Heights has a side effect some residents are complaining about - unkempt lawns.

According to Ald. Wanda Rodgers (2nd), several residents are complaining many yards on the city's East Side are eyesores because nobody is around to tend to the landscaping.

"It's pretty bad (in some areas)," she said.

One area of particular concern is the 1400 block of Green Street. Up and down this block, some lawns are well-kept and manicured, while others blossom out of control. The numerous boarded-up homes on the block signal their connected lawns will be untended.
read more...

tell a friend

Spring cleanup initiative draws tons of waste

Posted on 2008-06-05 10:30:16 CDT

Chicago Heights' citywide spring cleanup initiative allowed residents an opportunity to "eliminate the negative" in their home environments on the final day of May.

Four stations were set up at 10th Street and Dixie Highway for hazardous waste disposal, electronics recycling, document shredding and used tire collection.
read more...

tell a friend

City spruces up junk collector rules

Posted on 2008-06-05 10:23:26 CDT

CHICAGO HEIGHTS Tighter regulations target thieves

Chicago Heights' junk and scavenger ordinance got "beefed-up" this week.

The city council agreed unanimously Monday to tighten language in the ordinance that guides the way buyers and sellers of junk metal, appliances and other scrap parts do business in the city.

The purpose, according to officials, is to eliminate what many see as a burgeoning problem of scavengers sifting through trash or stealing aluminum siding, copper and other valuables from vacant homes, businesses and construction sites and selling these materials to dealers.
read more...

tell a friend

READY, SET, CLEAN!

Posted on 2008-05-29 14:12:58 CDT

CHICAGO HEIGHTS Officials, residents join forces to spruce up city Saturday

Chicago Heights needs a face lift, and city officials hope it will get a good one during the first citywide "Spring Clean-Up" planned for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
"We want to spruce up the city and get it ready for the summer," said Frank Perez, executive administrator to the mayor and coordinator of the event.

The day will consist of two parts: a city staff-led crusade of volunteers who'll pick up trash at some of the city's dirtiest spots and dispose of it in city-provided trash bins, and a free hazardous waste disposal collection.
read more...

tell a friend

Southtown Star Editorial

Posted on 2008-05-22 08:51:37 CDT

Chicago Heights acting properly in razing homes

It's a sad commentary on the state of affairs in some parts of Chicago Heights that the best solution to the problems that come with abandoned homes lies with tearing down those structures.

The SouthtownStar has, in the past, endorsed the city's demolition program as a way to get rid of abandoned property so that it doesn't become infested with squatters, drug abusers or prostitutes. We still do. We know city officials have worked hard so homes that already are shuttered - and seemingly unwanted - can be torn down. In Chicago Heights, demolishing abandoned houses is largely a matter of public safety. We know it's best that these properties come down.
read more...

tell a friend

Chicago Heights to install red light cameras

Posted on 2008-04-10 09:54:10 CDT

Chicago Heights soon will have red light traffic cameras positioned and snapping several major intersections around the city.

The city council unanimously approved two measures pertaining to the camera installation Monday night.

Red light cameras photograph vehicles that run traffic signals, and then owners are sent $100 tickets for the offenses.

Aldermen voted to hire Safe Speed, LLC to put-in, maintain and run the program, and also voted to change laws that permit the police department to participate in the enforcement of the program.

Chicago Heights Deputy Police Chief Michael Camilli said red light cameras reduce right-angle crashes which have high fatality rates at busy intersections.
read more...

tell a friend

City changes zoning rule to restore value to some homes

Posted on 2008-04-10 09:52:51 CDT

The Chicago Heights City Council approved a zoning ordinance change Monday night that could help hundreds of residents who have been "devastated for years -- people whose homes have been made valueless" by a zoning technicality.

An ordinance that went into effect in the '90s, officials said, required homes be built on lots of at least 50 feet. This was done to discourage lesser-value, smaller homes. read more...

tell a friend

Chicago Heights 'rescues' homeowners

Posted on 2008-04-08 08:58:31 CDT

Chicago Heights City Council could help hundreds of residents who have been "devastated" for years - people whose homes have been made "valueless" by their failure to comply with a zoning technicality.

An ordinance created in the 1990s required that homes be built on lots of at least 50 feet. This was done to discourage lesser-value, smaller homes.

But according to city officials, hundreds of homes built before this ordinance don't conform to this standard.

A zoning change approved Monday night could fix this.
read more...

tell a friend

<< Prev  Next >>

WWW ChicagoHeights.Net