Beecher to Rewrite Ordinance on Ebikes, Golf Carts to Match State Law

Beecher Village Board Meeting | May 11, 2026

Article Summary: The Beecher Village Board on Monday, May 11, 2026, unanimously directed the village attorney to draft an ordinance amending village code on non-highway vehicles, after officials identified conflicts between local rules and the Illinois Vehicle Code governing ebikes and golf carts.

Non-Highway Vehicle Ordinance Key Points:

• The board directed the village attorney to draft an amendment after staff identified “several discrepancies” between Beecher’s code and state law.
• The conflict centers on operation of ebikes and golf carts: state law currently prohibits uses Beecher’s ordinance allows.
• The motion only authorizes drafting; a final ordinance will return to the board for adoption at a future meeting.
• The motion was made by Public Safety Committee Chair Joe Tieri and passed by unanimous roll call.

BEECHER — The Beecher Village Board on Monday, May 11, 2026, voted unanimously to direct the village attorney to draft an ordinance amending the village code as it relates to the operation of non-highway vehicles, taking aim at conflicts between local rules and the Illinois Vehicle Code on the operation of ebikes and golf carts on Beecher streets.

Trustee Joe Tieri, chair of the Public Safety Committee, made the motion. He told colleagues the rewrite would address mismatches between Beecher’s existing rules and the state’s vehicle code. “It’s in relation to the ebikes and uh golf carts that are several discrepancies within the ordinance,” Tieri said. “Element vehicle code versus our ordinance. Vehicle code says it’s not allowed. Our ordinance says it is.”

The motion does not itself change village code. It authorizes the village attorney to prepare draft language that would bring Beecher’s ordinance into alignment with state law. That draft will return to the board for review and a formal vote at a later meeting. Tieri described the intended fix narrowly: “Just clean up the language to follow the state law.”

The board did not discuss specific anticipated changes to ebike or golf cart rules during the meeting, and no detail was provided on whether the rewrite will restrict operations residents have grown accustomed to under current village ordinance.

The motion to direct the attorney passed by a unanimous roll-call vote of trustees Erik Gardner, Roger Stacey, Brian Diachenko, Todd Kraus, Jessica Smith and Tieri.

Other Public Safety Updates

Tieri’s committee report included monthly reports from the police department, the Emergency Management Agency and the village’s code enforcement office, all of which were included in the meeting packet.

Officials also told trustees the village is transitioning from the Nixle community alert system to RAVE, with a July 1 cutover date. Will County is making the same switch, and Beecher is following. The change ends the village’s payment for Nixle service; RAVE will carry no cost. Residents currently receiving Nixle alerts will need to re-enroll in RAVE to continue receiving incident notifications. “Any active users of Nixl have to resign up for RAVE,” one official said.

The EMA director told the board the agency will lose three members at the end of the month, leaving it down to three active members. “If anybody knows anybody wants to volunteer, we’re looking for a couple extra volunteers,” he said.

A “Cop on Top” fundraiser benefiting law enforcement is scheduled for Friday at the Dunkin’ Donuts in Beecher from 5 a.m. to noon.