Section 65 ILCS 5/11-13-14.1 - Hearing officer Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary in this Division 13:
(A) The corporate authorities of any municipality may by ordinance establish the position of hearing officer and delegate to a hearing officer the authority to: (i) conduct any public hearing -- other than a public hearing provided for in Section 11-13-2 -- required to be held under this Division 13 in connection with applications for any special use, variation, amendment or other change or modification in any ordinance of the municipality adopted pursuant to this Division 13; and (ii) hear and decide appeals from and review any order, requirement, decision or determination made by an administrative official charged with the enforcement of any ordinance adopted pursuant to this Division 13.(B) When a hearing officer is designated to conduct a public hearing in a matter otherwise required to be heard in accordance with this Division 13 by some commission or committee designated by the corporate authorities of the municipality: (i) notice of such hearing shall be given in the same time and manner as is provided by this Division 13 for the giving of notice of hearing when any such matter is to be heard by some commission or committee designated by the corporate authorities; (ii) the hearing officer shall exercise and perform the same powers and duties as such commission or committee is required to exercise and perform when conducting a public hearing in any such matter; and (iii) the hearing officer shall render a written recommendation to the corporate authorities within such time and in such manner and form as the corporate authorities shall require.(C) When a hearing officer is designated to conduct a public hearing in a matter otherwise required to be heard in accordance with this Division 13 by the board of appeals, or when a hearing officer is designated to hear and decide appeals from and review any order, requirement, decision or determination made by an administrative official charged with the enforcement of any ordinance adopted pursuant to this Division 13: (i) notice of hearing shall be given in the same time and manner as is provided by this Division 13 for the giving of notice of hearing when any such matter is to be heard by the board of appeals;(ii)the hearing officer in passing upon and determining any matter otherwise within the jurisdiction of the board of appeals shall be governed by all of the standards, rules and conditions imposed by this Division 13 to govern the board of appeals when it passes upon and determines any such matter; and (iii) the hearing officer shall exercise and perform all of the powers and duties of the board of appeals in the same manner and to the same effect as provided in this Division 13 with respect to the board of appeals, provided that: 1. When the hearing officer is passing upon an application for variation or special use and the power to determine and approve such variation or special use is reserved to the corporate authorities, then upon report of the hearing officer the corporate authorities may by ordinance without further public hearing adopt any proposed variation or special use or may refer it back to the hearing officer for further consideration, and any proposed variation or special use which fails to receive the approval of the hearing officer shall not be passed except by the favorable vote of 2/3 of all alderperson or trustees of the municipality;2. When the hearing officer is passing upon an application for variation or special use and the power to determine and approve such variation or special use is not reserved to the corporate authorities, or when the hearing officer is hearing and deciding appeals from or reviewing any order, requirement, decision or determination made by an administrative official charged with the enforcement of any ordinance adopted pursuant to this Division 13, the determination made by the hearing officer with respect to any such matter shall constitute a final administrative decision which is subject to judicial review pursuant to the provisions of the "Administrative Review Law", as now or hereafter amended.(D) The corporate authorities of the municipality may provide general or specific rules implementing but not inconsistent with the provisions of this Section, including rules relative to the time and manner in which hearing officers are designated to conduct public hearings and rules governing the manner in which such hearings are conducted and matters heard therein passed upon and determined.(E) Hearing officers shall be appointed on the basis of training and experience which qualifies them to conduct hearings, make recommendations or findings of fact and conclusions on the matters heard and otherwise exercise and perform the powers, duties and functions delegated in accordance with this Section. Hearing officers shall receive such compensation as the corporate authorities of the municipality shall provide, and any municipality may establish a schedule of fees to defray the costs of providing a hearing officer.(F) This Section is intended to furnish an alternative or supplemental procedure which a municipality in its discretion may provide for hearing, determining, reviewing and deciding matters which arise under any ordinance adopted by the municipality pursuant to this Division 13, but nothing in this Section shall be deemed to limit or prevent the use of any existing procedure available to a municipality under this Division 13 for hearing, approving or denying applications for a special use, variation, amendment or other change or modification of any such ordinance, or for hearing and deciding appeals from and reviewing any order, requirement, decision or determination made by an administrative official charged with the enforcement of any such ordinance.Amended by P.A. 102-0015,§ 35, eff. 6/17/2021.