Are Burr Ridge's Fines 'Small Potatoes'?

BURR RIDGE, IL – A property owner in Burr Ridge violated numerous stop-work orders and kept continuing with construction, officials said Monday.

That calls into question whether the village's fines are enough to penalize such behavior, a village trustee said.

Trustee Guy Franzese noted that the village's $750 fine per violation is the highest allowed for non-home rule towns such as Burr Ridge.

"We want to discourage that type of action," Franzese said at a Village Board meeting. "A $750 fine, in my opinion, on a $500,000 addition or a million-dollar house is small potatoes."

However, Janine Farrell, Burr Ridge's community development director, said the village can charge $750 each day a violation continues. And it can revoke a building permit, which costs several thousand dollars, she said.

The case involving the violation of stop-work orders went to adjudication, Farrell said.

Farrell and Franzese did not identify the property owner. Patch filed a public records request for more information.