Migrant Crisis Prompts Stricter Tinley Park Rules On Intercity Bus Dropoffs

TINLEY PARK, IL — In what's been touted as an effort to protect the safety and welfare of passengers, Tinley Park Village officials on Tuesday passed an ordinance aimed at preventing intercity bus drivers from making unscheduled stops in Tinley Park.

The Tinley Park Village Board on Tuesday adopted an ordinance giving police the authority to cite, impound or take other appropriate measures against any intercity bus driver that attempts to make an unscheduled stop in Tinley Park and unload passengers.

"Unscheduled bus stops without a coordinated plan, especially in inclement weather, endangers the safety and welfare of passengers,” Mayor Michael Glotz said. "This ordinance holds noncompliant bus operators accountable and eases the burden on Village resources that results from these kinds of unplanned stops."

The ordinance also ratifies two executive orders signed by Mayor Glotz and Village Clerk Nancy O’Connor on Dec. 7 and Dec. 15.

Interim Tinley Park Police Chief Thomas Tilton said the ordinance is "to discourage bus companies to drop people in an unsafe area, during unsafe weather.

"It’s not directed at the passengers," Tilton said. "These are passengers that are being brought into the area that they’re not from here, they don’t have anyone there to meet them. We want to be sure they’re ok, especially with the onset of bad weather coming in.

"Our efforts are not to forcibly interact with the passengers—if they’ve disembarked, we’re going to try to get them to where they’re trying to go."

Tilton went on to say the ordinance allows them to police the buses and drivers. If in violation of the points outlined in the ordinance, drivers may be cited and their vehicles impounded, Tilton said.

Village Manager Pat Carr said the ordinance is partly in response to an ongoing humanitarian crisis surrounding migrants. Both Tilton and Carr stressed some passengers might lack a geographic awareness of the area.

"One of the things that we want to emphasize is the people getting off the bus don’t know where they’re going," Tilton said. "They’ve been dropped into a town they’ve never been in before. That makes them easy prey for criminals."

In a southwest suburban public safety forum held in Orland Park Dec. 12, Glotz touted the measures as a way to protect the town from aimless visitors.

"We’re not putting up with this," Glotz said during the forum. "Our taxes are high enough, we don’t need them dropping people off in our city."

Under the measure, intercity bus drivers must apply to be able to make unscheduled stops within Tinley Park village limits. The application must be filed at least five days prior to the requested date of arrival. It must also include background checks on any passengers 18 years old and above.

The ordinance—available to view online—specifies that the drivers may only make unscheduled stops between 10 a.m and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and not at all on Saturdays, Sundays, or Village holidays. The unscheduled stops may only be made at places designated by the Tilton. Drivers must also always carry a digital or physical copy of their approved application.

A driver who makes an unscheduled stop in Tinley Park without prior approval could face a $750 fine.

"At the end of the day, we want to know—if they’re dropping off people unannounced, or if they have a reservation out of the area, because of this humanitarian crisis—to make sure they’re not transporting anyone that’s not supposed to be traveling with them," Village Manager Pat Carr said.

The Village Board also passed an ordinance that clarifies penalties for any person, firm or corporation that violates the maximum stay length for hotels and motels.

"With 11 existing hotels, and continued interest from new hotels, it is important to ensure the municipal code addresses the hospitality industry and the changes that it has seen largely since COVID," officials wrote. "Upon further review of this Ordinance, it is recommended that a penalty section be added should there be any violation of the ordinance."

Under the updated requirements, hotel stays are limited to 28 days, with no extension possible without a 14-day break in between stays. This is a change from a previous policy, which called for a two-day break between stays.

Exceptions can include a contract with a business, corporation, firm or governmental agency to house employees or individuals on valid work orders; documentation, consistent with HIPPA privacy rules, that a hotel guest is considered family or is providing care for a patient who is admitted at a local hospital; insurance-documented displacement from a home due to natural disaster or fire; or a contract with an organization dictating emergency or transitional housing/shelter.

Anyone in violation faces a fine of $750, and additional fines each day after the initial occurrence.
Any hotel, motel, or extended-stay hotel that fails to comply for a period of 30 days or more may have their business and liquor license (when applicable) revoked.