New technology to help sort out Metra parking ticket mix-ups in Morton Grove

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Updated: March 17, 2012 8:05AM

The village of Morton grove is embarking on a course to embrace technology while keeping a personal touch.

“The focus is on solving problems,” said Ryan Horne, interim village administrator.

First on the list are upgrades to the payment system at the Metra parking lot at 8501 Lehigh.

The system now accepts credit cards, and the village has put in place system to mitigate parking mishaps, Horne said.

“We know people are busy, and that they can hit the wrong parking-space number,” he said. “It can make people angry when they have to take time off to fight the ticket.

“Now they can simply attach the receipt, which has the parking-spot number and shows the amount paid, to the ticket and send it in, Because we have new software, we can spot double payments.”

He added: “As long as it’s well-documented, the village can dismiss ticket and the driver can avoid appearing at a (village adjudication) hearing.”

The option is good for two times a year; a third time will warrant a hearing, he added.

“We can go online and view in real time, so we can verify if a spot has been double-paid,” he said.

The new system also can send email alerts to the Public Works Department if the pay station runs low on receipt paper or has a paper jam, Horne said.

“We can be aware of potential problems and know ahead of time,” he said. “We can be proactive. We’re trying to make it easy for everyone — the Police Department, Public Works Department, the administration and the customers.”

As of March 1, the village will send out redesigned water bills, Horne said.

The revamped bills will include a chart and a graph of water use and will list the water and garbage-pickup rates, as well as a time line for late payments and shutoff notices, Horne said.

“It’ll be clearly spelled out,” he said. “It’s easy information people should have anyway. And we can tweak the information to meet customers’ needs. If residents say they want some other information, we can add that.”

The system will be driven by what people want, Trustee Maria Toth said.

“And with the graph, people can see their water use,” she noted.

The village also has redesigned the vehicle-tag application to include pet licenses. Vehicle tags go on sale March 15. Current tags expire May 1. Residents now may submit applications online.

“We’ve revamped the vehicle-license application so a resident can fill out that and the animal-license application at the same time,” she said. “We want to make it very convenient. A resident can register a car and a pet at same time.

“It’s a really neat option, and people will actually be able to read the applications because we’re using larger type.”

Another change is a refinement of the Planning Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals and the Appearances Commission application processes.

Again using online technology, an applicant can review not only the overall process but also a step-by-step time line of required documents, as well as meeting schedules, explained John Said, director of community and economic development.

“It’s about giving good citizen service,” added Peter Falcone, assistant to the village administrator.

When all is said and done, Horne noted, “Even with all the advances in technology, we know some residents still want that face-to-face contact. And we will continue to provide that. But for those who are comfortable going online, they now have that option.

“And it makes for a more-informed customer.”