McHenry Times

Illinois Sen. Don DeWitte recently shared a post on Facebook promoting a new law which revised the Illinois Municipal Code to extend local administrative adjudication to all municipalities, rather than only home-rule municipalities.

"I was proud to sponsor this municipality-friendly legislation, which allows our cities and villages to keep more revenue local," DeWitte wrote in the post.

The law, which will go into effect Jan. 1, will give municipalities local administrative adjudication, which has previously only been available to home-rule communities, according to a July 7 announcement. The bill was requested by the Metro West Council of Government, according to a release on DeWitte's website.

“This legislation will allow our cities and villages, regardless of size, to keep more of their locally-generated revenues at the local level,” DeWitte said. “Today, when a speeding ticket or other citation is issued, adjudication takes place through the county and revenues are split between several sources. By permitting administrative adjudication at the local level, municipalities are able to retain all funds derived from these types of local infractions, lessening the reliance on property taxes.”

Administrative adjudication provides a way for municipalities to enforce their ordinances, according to the Illinois Municipal Code, which had previously given home-rule municipalities the option to keep the funds obtained by administrative adjudication. Those communities that weren’t home-rule municipalities had to split or give up the funds obtained when residents broke those administrative codes, according to General Assembly data.

Senate Bill 2320, which was sponsored by DeWitte and Sens. Linda Holmes, Dale Fowler and Steve McClure, was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on June 30. It allows non-home rule municipalities to operate a code hearing unit. The bill was filed Feb. 10 and moved to the House on March 30. The chief sponsor in the House was Rep. Dan Ugaste.

DeWitte (R-St. Charles) was first elected to the General Assembly in 2018. His legislative experience includes serving on the Appropriations II Committee and Committee of the Whole, according to his Senate biography.