Tinley Park Does Away With Vehicle Stickers For Residents

TINLEY PARK, IL — Tinley Park officials on Tuesday voted to nix the village's longstanding requirement for vehicle stickers.

Trustees on Tuesday approved an ordinance eliminating the vehicle sticker program, which has been in place since 1965. The program required car owners to buy and display a vehicle sticker annually, with citations issued if found not in compliance.

Vehicle sticker fees have ranged between $10 for a motorcycle, to $25 for a passenger auto, van and recreational vehicle, $35 for a truck less than one ton and $55 for a truck more than one ton. Eliminating the program will save residents money, and also free up officers previously tasked with enforcing it, officials have said. Revenue from the fees typically was allocated to road maintenance and repairs.

Free stickers will still be available for residents who would like to continue displaying the stickers on their vehicles, Village Clerk Nancy O'Connor said. The stickers can be picked up at Village Hall, 16250 Oak Park Ave., beginning April 1.

O'Connor previously said similar programs in surrounding towns have become obsolete.

"This is an ordinance that is 50-something years old, that has far outlived its time," O'Connor said Tuesday. "... It's a small amount, but more than that, it's the gesture of doing the right thing. That's what this is about. ... This is for the residents, it's a gesture of good will. It's the right thing to do."

The program has in the past cost the Village $75,000 to maintain. Officials have been mulling its elimination for several years, officials said. Trustee Colleen Sullivan noted that many residents have skirted the fees in the past, adding that eliminating the fees could benefit senior citizens on fixed incomes and families with multi-vehicle households.

"It's a simple thing we're doing for the residents," Sullivan. "I think it's a great thing, I support it. Get rid of it."

Vehicle stickers purchased in 2022 are set to expire April 30, 2023.