Town of Cicero Implements New Measures for Community Safety and Infrastructure Advancements
The Town of Cicero trustees during their bi-weekly board meeting on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. April Alonso/Cicero Independiente.
By Leslie Hurtado
The Town of Cicero Board of Trustees and President Larry Dominick met twice in October 2023 to discuss various ordinances and resolutions.
October’s agenda items highlight key community and safety initiatives. These include adopting a new traffic ordinance, regulating food trucks, investing in advanced firefighting gear and hospital software. Additionally, the town extended the terms of its officials and board members.
Access the documents referenced in this recap by clicking on these links: October 10 and October 24. For live streams of these meetings, visit our Facebook page.
Here is a summary of the approved items:
PERMITS
Several permits have been approved for community events. They have granted Our Lady the Mystical Rose Parish a permit for their Day of the Dead Festival on November 2nd.
St. Mary Frances Parish requested two temporary liquor permits for their "Noche de Bandas" and "Noche Bohemia."
The town has also permitted the Latino Alzheimer's and Memory Disorders Alliance to set up a resource table and allowed Un Nuevo Despertar, an organization dedicated to helping survivors of domestic violence, to use space at the Town of Cicero building for an information table during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
RESOLUTIONS
The Town of Cicero has adopted a new ordinance to make traffic safer. The change will update Chapter 94, Section 94-182 of the town's laws, adding stop signs to control traffic moving east and west on 38th Street and north on 58th Court among other areas. Key intersections impacted include:
38th Street and 56th Court: All eastbound and westbound traffic on 38th Street must stop at 56th Court.
38th Street and 58th Court: All eastbound and westbound traffic on 38th Street must stop at 58th Court.
38th Street and 59th Court: All northbound traffic on 59th Court must stop at 38th Street.
58th Court and 23rd Street: All southbound traffic on 58th Court must stop at this intersection.
58th Court and 38th Street: All northbound traffic on 58th Court must stop at this intersection.
59th Avenue and 13th Street: Stop signs for all traffic on both streets.
The board approved a new law to control food trucks in the town. The law established a 12 food truck license limit, and the trucks can't sell alcohol.
Food trucks are required to park on private property or at town-approved special events, avoiding proximity to similar restaurants without permission. Each food truck must display a health department license and pay an annual fee of $300. Violations of these regulations will result in a $150 fine.
Cicero has planned a construction project to fix six old concrete alleys. The plan includes adding green features like special paver blocks and porous bases. The exact locations of these alleys haven't been shared.
TOWN SPENDING
The board has passed a new rule to protect the historic Olympic Theater. The town will lease security equipment, including steel doors and window guards, from Door & Window Guard Systems, Inc. (DAWGS), a company specializing in securing vacant properties.
The initial lease with DAWGS spans three months, with a cost of $4,424. Following this, the agreement will continue on a month-to-month basis, with a monthly rental fee of $2,403. Additionally, the town can charge the theater for these security upgrades. This new safety rule is already in effect.
They have also approved a $18,308 invoice for new firefighting gear. This funding, allocated to Air One Equipment Inc., a fire department supplier, will provide the Cicero Fire Department with six sets of advanced gear. This investment not only equips new members of the department but also replaces outdated gear for existing personnel.
Cicero Fire Department's new investment of $14,275 in ImageTrend's EMS software aims to boost emergency response times and collaborate with the Loyola Hospital System.
APPOINTMENTS
The Town of Cicero decided to extend the terms of its appointed officials and board members until November 30, 2023. However, the names of these members were not specified in the town board's agenda or during the meeting.
Correction 12/01/2023: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the terms of unspecified appointed officials and board members have been extended until October 31, 2023. The correct date is November 30, 2023
Leslie Hurtado is a contributing reporter with Cicero Independiente. She graduated with a B.A. in Communications at Northeastern Illinois University. She worked at several news rooms including WBEZ, WTTW, Telemundo and City Bureau.
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