Burr Ridge Hearing Officer Without Contract For 5 Months

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge's hearing officer continued to preside over cases in 2023, even though she was without a contract for five months.

The last day under the current contract for Denise Filan is New Year's Eve. She is a former Cook County Circuit judge who became the hearing officer in December 2020.

On Jan. 31, 2023, her previous contract expired, but she continued hearing cases. Nearly five months later, on June 26, the Village Board approved a new contract, which took effect immediately.

Asked about the five-month gap, Mayor Gary Grasso said "no practical effect" occurred.

"It was ministerial at most," he said in an email Tuesday. "We had a written contract with Judge Filan before and continued it in 2023 through the end of this year on similar terms. No issues arose because there were no issues."

Starting with the new year, attorney Robyn Molaro King will serve as the hearing officer for the next year. She is set to get $325 an hour, up from Filan's $235.

King is the hearing officer in other municipalities. While some towns use a formal process to select an officer, Burr Ridge's was informal.

The Burr Ridge court was designed to address issues such as vehicle tows, impound fees, parking tickets, building and zoning, disorderly conduct, retail theft, offenses involving alcohol and minors, solicitors and the animal code.