March 14--Cicero voters will see a question on their ballots next month asking if the town should "allow resident-initiated" noise tickets to be issued.
But that doesn't mean that citizens will get to write up citations and hand them to their loud neighbors. The police will do that, based on complaints filed by residents, officials said.
The town board adopted such a procedure about a year ago, officials said. But in January, they also decided to have voters weigh in on it and on increasing penalties for noise violations. An advisory referendum will be held April 7.
It was unclear why officials felt a need to poll residents on resident-initiated tickets after adopting the measure or what the board might do, if anything, after seeing the results of the advisory referendum.
The full advisory referendum question reads: "Shall the Town of Cicero increase penalties for violations of the Town of Cicero's noise ordinance and allow resident-initiated noise ordinance violation tickets to be issued to offenders?"
Town spokesman Ray Hanania said Town President Larry Dominick and Town Assessor Emilio Cundari asked the board to consider placing the question on the ballot after hearing from residents complaining about noise problems.
Dominick did not return phone calls. Cundari could not be reached for comment.
Hanania said officials would not discuss specifics regarding the intent of the referendum, other than to gather resident input on the town's noise ordinance.
Town attorney Michael Del Galdo said that the change made earlier to the noise ordinance allows residents to sign a complaint, which states they'd swear in court that their neighbor violated the town's noise ordinance, Del Galdo said. That way, police officers can issue a ticket even if they didn't hear the violation, he said.
It's not uncommon for someone playing loud music to turn it down after learning police are on the way, either by hearing scanner chatter or seeing an approaching squad car, officials said.
"By the time we get there, there's no music," police Superintendent Jerry Chlada Jr. said.
Typically, officers responding to a report of a noise violation must hear the noise to issue a ticket, he said. Residents signing a complaint is another way for police to issue a ticket to repeat offenders, Chlada added. Fines for a violation range from $50 to $250, he said.
Hanania said board members have ideas to address noise problems but will not discuss them before the April 7 vote. He said he could not say whether any fine increases are possible or if the board is considering changing the "resident-initiated" policy.
Trustee Dennis Raleigh said the board is simply looking for "feedback from residents."
Noise complaints aren't a new problem in Cicero. In 2006, voters were faced with another noise-related referendum question. It asked if the town should prohibit block parties, which had become a source of many noise complaints.
Voters narrowly voted against the measure. Soon after, the board approved a new block party ordinance that stiffened the rules, including when they can happen, and how many are allowed on any given weekend or holiday.
Chlada said he wouldn't speak to the reason behind this year's referendum but said noise complaints to the police are "one after another" in the warmer months and remain a problem in Cicero. He could not provide numbers relating to noise complaints in the town.
"The stress it puts on the Police Department is enormous," he said.
Last year's change to the ordinance, which added the "resident-initiated aspect," didn't really do anything. "It didn't help with our repeat offenders," Chlada said.
"It takes up a lot of our time," he said. "We'd much rather be addressing crime, but we do realize (loud music is) a major disservice to citizens who have to deal with this."
kthayer@tribpub.com
