Park Ridge City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting — July 20, 2026

The Park Ridge City Council met as a Committee of the Whole on Monday, July 20, 2026. A quorum was present; Alderpersons Moran and Leffler were absent. No residents spoke during the 'Citizens Who Wish to Be Heard' portion. Public Works and Finance had no action items, discussion items, or department head reports. The council approved a police training purchase order and two first readings, and referred the Farmers Market trademarking discussion back to the Farmers Market Committee.

Administrative Services

• The July Human Resources Report was filed as a discussion item. It covered routine items such as birthdays and new hires; staff directed questions to Joe Gilmore. No action was taken.

Public Safety — Police

• By voice vote, the council approved a purchase order for $20,662.40 to the College of DuPage for Suburban Law Enforcement Academy basic training for four Park Ridge police recruits, at $5,165.60 per recruit. Chief Campworth explained the cost required council approval because it exceeded $20,000; training funds were already budgeted. He said the department has used two academies in the past 10–15 years.
• Chief Campworth's June 2026 report highlighted: collaboration among police, fire, and public works; National Night Out on August 4, 6:00–8:30 p.m. at Hodges Park; the new voluntary Blue Envelope traffic-stop program; meetings with bidders on a police department feasibility study; and participation in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics.
• The Volunteer Corps reported 75 hours in June and 285 total hours worked.
• Council members asked for e-bike/e-scooter enforcement data, calling the issue a 'hot button' and requesting a future snapshot of citations/warnings. Chief Campworth said the department has created a new warning ticket and an officer education group and would provide data in a future report.
• A council member asked about a decline in FOIA requests and whether staffing implications should be considered during the budget cycle. Chief Campworth said the department is monitoring the trend.

Public Safety — School Resource Officer Report

• The annual SRO report covered Maine East and Maine South. Maine East had a new SRO who shadowed for the first semester and started full-time in the second semester; Maine South's SRO is entering his sixth year.

Public Safety — Fire

• Chief Sorensen reported no action items. During Taste of Park Ridge, the Fire Department handled 6 EMS calls, 2 transports, and 49 first-aid contacts, none life-threatening.
• He described a basement fire late Saturday night (11:30 p.m.) in the 2100 block of Parkside; no injuries, two pets rescued with oxygen masks, and mutual aid from North Maine arrived first, with Park Ridge on scene about 40 seconds later.
• Fire Department Q2 2026 highlights: staffing is full; training was conducted at donated buildings, a Higgins strip mall, a Lutheran General building, and a Niles site; two new ambulances were delivered and are in service; and two additional vehicles (an ambulance and an engine squad) are expected in 2027.
• Chief Sorensen noted the first six months of 2026 produced exactly the same number of calls as the first six months of 2025: 3,131.
• In response to council questions, he discussed frequent leadership changes at residential health care facilities, high censuses, and a recent call spike; planned to return next month. He said ambulance life expectancy is generally 8 years, with a max of about 10. For Station 36, the department expects to issue an RFP around September and select a company later this year.

Procedures and Regulations — Mural Program First Reading

• The council approved the first reading of the Mural Program measure. The agenda labels it a resolution, while the discussion referred to code amendments establishing the program.
• The program would apply to murals on publicly owned property in Park Ridge, including city, library, school district, and park district property. The city would own each mural upon installation and be responsible for its maintenance, repair, insurance, and removal; other agencies would grant the city a license or easement.
• Staff and the city attorney explained that city ownership makes the mural 'government speech,' giving the council broader control over content and avoiding First Amendment issues that arise when regulating private expression. Murals would be reviewed by staff and the Appearance Commission, with final approval by the City Council.
• The discussion distinguished murals from signs: imagery that advertises the business or activities inside a building would be regulated as a sign, not as a mural.
• The first reading passed by voice vote with no opposition heard.

Procedures and Regulations — Building Official and Deputy Building Official

• The council approved the first reading of an ordinance amending the Municipal Code regarding the Building Official and Deputy Building Official.
• The change would allow the Building Official to extend permits for large projects or projects with extenuating circumstances. Currently, a permit is valid for an initial 18 months and can be extended twice for six months, for a maximum of 2.5 years. After that, projects would otherwise need to reapply under current codes and pay new permit fees.
• Staff cited a large ongoing project whose permits will expire before construction is complete as the impetus. Council members asked about the risk of delaying projects; staff said extensions would be evaluated based on the project's scope and progress.
• The first reading passed by voice vote with no opposition heard.

Discussion — Farmers Market Intellectual Property and Trademarking

• The Farmers Market Committee asked the council for direction to pursue trademarking the market's logo because outside entities have used the logo and other materials without permission.
• A Farmers Market Committee representative said the committee voted at its June meeting to approach the council, but the cost was not discussed. The memo estimated a not-to-exceed cost of $1,000; a committee member noted an Illinois trademark license can cost $5 for five years if the applicant does the work.
• The city attorney said the Farmers Market Committee can already adopt rules controlling use of the logo by current vendors. A trademark would allow the city to pursue non-vendors who misuse the logo and could make misuse a city code violation.
• The city attorney also said there was no immediate risk of another party trademarking the logo because of the market's established use in commerce.
• Council members expressed concern about spending money on a logo that might later be refreshed and wanted the committee to reconsider the decision knowing the actual cost.
• The council reached consensus to refer the item back to the Farmers Market Committee for reconsideration with the cost information, and to bring it back as an action item if the committee remains supportive.

Upcoming Procedures and Regulations Items and New Business

• Staff reported that the EV readiness grant deadline was moved to the end of July and the city is applying ahead of schedule. Status updates on the affordable housing plan and the Comprehensive Plan are expected in August.
• An alderperson, filling in for absent Alderperson Moran, raised resident concerns about the historic district establishment process. The city attorney advised letting the current Historic Preservation Commission application run its course before considering code changes; property on the boundary can be excluded by the commission or council. No action was taken on this item.

Key Outcomes

1. Approved the $20,662.40 College of DuPage police recruit training purchase order by voice vote.
2. Approved the first reading of the Mural Program measure by voice vote, with no opposition heard.
3. Approved the first reading of the Building Official/Deputy Building Official ordinance by voice vote, with no opposition heard.
4. Referred the Farmers Market trademarking proposal back to the Farmers Market Committee to reconsider with cost information; final approval was not considered.
5. No action was taken on the historic district process discussion; the current HPC application will proceed first.