TOLONO, Ill. (WCIA) — The Tolono Village Board is fulfilling a promise made after two parks were vandalized within weeks of each other. They recently passed a new ordinance hoping situations like that don’t happen again.

Tolono Police Chief Justin Levingston is in lock step with the board. Recently, he said they’ve had to deal with more crimes juveniles are committing.

Levingston said the new parental responsibility ordinance will give the department a middle ground of enforcement they need.

“We’re not using it as a moneymaking tool,” Levingston said. “You know, we are just trying to keep the property in town from being destroyed.”

It’s something both Levingston and Tolono Village President Terrence Stuber have seen more of this past year.

“Very few young people — but those young people that are doing it — are breaking into cars,” Stuber said. “They’re destroying public property at the parks.”

Stuber said the antics have even been escalating.

“There was even an incident of illegal fireworks thrown over a fence, almost killing animals in that backyard,” Stuber added.

He said these situations pushed himself and the village board to take action. Recently, they passed the parental responsibility ordinance.

“[It] would be holding the parents responsible for the actions of their kids,” Levingston said.

The ordinance allows officers to hand out fines to the parents or guardians of minors who commit certain crimes. Those include vandalism, underage drinking and more. Levingston said this gives the department an option to deter crime without having to go to more extreme levels.

“It has to be a pretty serious offense for the detention center to take a juvenile,” Levingston said. “And this basically just gives us another enforcement option.”

The fines start at $250. If the same person commits another offense within a year, it will bump up to $500 and finally $750 for any additional offense after that.

“Hopefully, word will get out that there is this ordinance and basically you’re on notice to, you know, hopefully keep a better eye on them and keep them from doing another offense,” Levingston said.

Stuber said there will be a 10% discount on the fine if it’s paid in the first thirty days after its handed out. He and the chief hope they end up not having to fine anyone, but they believe it was time for something to be done and hope this new ordinance will make a difference.