Title
Recodification of the Village Code
History
The Village of Orland Park last performed a comprehensive codification of its municipal laws in 1993 with American Legal Publishing. While the Village has diligently updated the Code through "supplementation" (the insertion of individual new ordinances), the foundational structure of the Code is over 30 years old. Over more than three decades, numerous ordinances have amended, repealed, or supplemented existing provisions, which can result in inconsistencies, outdated references, formatting differences, and structural inefficiencies within the Code.
As the governing document for the Village, the Code serves as a critical foundation for the effective administration and operation of the municipality. The Code establishes the structure of the municipal government, outlines the duties and services the Village provides, defines how public safety is delivered, and sets forth regulations that ensure properties are used, developed, and maintained in accordance with community standards, among many other provisions.
As part of the Village’s ongoing commitment to organizational improvement and sound governance, staff is initiating a comprehensive review and recodification of the Village Code and seeks to enter into a contract with American Legal Publishing (proposal attached) for recodification services. This effort will update the existing Code to ensure compliance with applicable laws, eliminate obsolete or redundant provisions, improve clarity and organization, and incorporate best practices as well as necessary regulatory updates.
The recodification project will be completed in three phases, as outlined below.
Phase I:
Over the years, numerous ordinances have established fees and fines that are referenced throughout various sections of the Village Code. As part of Phase I of the recodification effort, staff is proposing several updates, including enhancements to the existing noise ordinance and the adoption of a new ordinance establishing regulations for the management of feral cat colonies. In addition, fines and fees will be reviewed and adjusted where appropriate and consolidated into a single, clearly organized table to improve accessibility and ease of reference within the Code.
These proposed updates are being presented to the Committee of the Whole on March 16, 2026, through twenty-four (24) separate ordinances, with the expectation of moving forward for Board approval on April 6, 2026.
Phase II:
American Legal will perform a comprehensive recodification of the Village Code to provide a systematic legal and editorial review. This process involves reorganizing, renumbering, and editing the Code to improve clarity, eliminate redundancies, correct obsolete references, and ensure consistency across all chapters. (Proposal attached)
Through this process, American Legal Publishing will:
-Review the entire Code for outdated or conflicting provisions
-Reorganize chapters and sections where appropriate for improved usability
-Standardize formatting, terminology, and cross-references
-Incorporate all previously adopted ordinances into a clean, consolidated code structure
-Identify provisions that may require review by Village staff or legal counsel
-Produce a modernized, fully integrated Code for both print and online access
This process will take approximately one year to complete.
Phase III:
Upon completion of Phase II of the Village Code recodification, Phase III will be initiated to recodify the Land Development Code.
It should be noted that in 2021, the Village entered into a contract with General Code for recodification/codification services, however, due to multiple factors, the complete recodification has not been completed and the current contract will be cancelled.
Financial Impact
Funds are budgeted for this project in account 010-1010-442530.
Recodification of the Village Code - $24,760
Code Converted into an Online Search Program (one-time setup fee) - $1,250
Annual Maintenance of Online Code - $695 per year
Recommended Action/Motion
I move approve and authorize the execution of a contract with American Legal Publishing for recodification services, publication and supplemental services for the Village Code in the amount of $24,760, and a one-time setup fee for an online searchable program in the amount of $1,250, plus the annual maintenance fee of $695.00;
AND
Approve American Legal Publishers as the Village’s ordinance codification service providing the Village’s codes of ordinances in print and online;
AND
Authorize the Village Manager to execute all related contracts, subject to Village Attorney review.