Park Forest — Ch. 54 Human Relations § 54-65
Conciliation
Operative Text
(a) During the period beginning with the filing of a complaint and ending with a dismissal or a referral to the fair housing review board, the community relations administrator shall, to the extent feasible, engage in conciliation with respect to such complaint. (b) If, after a finding of substantial evidence, the community relations administrator determines: (1) That conciliation is feasible, the complainant and respondent shall be notified of the time and place of the conciliation meeting by registered or certified mail at least seven calendar days prior thereto and both parties shall appear at the meeting in person or by attorney; or (2) That attempts at conciliation would not further the objectives of this chapter, or that the complaint cannot be resolved by conciliation, the community relations administrator shall report and transfer the complaint and filings to the fair housing review board. (c) The community relations administrator shall attempt, by all accepted methods of conciliation and lawful persuasion, to resolve the grievance delineated in the complaint. (d) Nothing occurring at the conciliation meeting shall be made public or used as evidence in a subsequent proceeding for the purpose of proving the alleged ordinance violation, unless the complainant and respondent agree in writing that such disclosure be made. (e) An agreement arising out of such conciliation shall be treated as a settlement pursuant to section 54-68 . (f) A conciliation may provide for binding arbitration of the dispute arising from the complaint. Any such arbitration that results from a conciliation agreement may award relief as provided for in this Code.
Park Forest's Ch. 54 Human Relations § 54-65 establishes a conciliation process that runs from the moment a fair-housing complaint is filed until it is either dismissed or sent to the fair housing review board. The community relations administrator leads this process, using accepted conciliation methods to try to resolve the dispute, and must notify both parties by registered or certified mail at least seven days before any meeting. Anything said or that occurs during conciliation is confidential and cannot be used as evidence in later proceedings unless both parties agree in writing to disclosure. If conciliation succeeds, the resulting agreement is treated as a formal settlement; if it fails or is deemed unworkable, the matter moves to the fair housing review board.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Park Forest Ch. 54 § 54-65, a property owner or manager named as a respondent in a fair-housing complaint should expect to receive official notice of any conciliation meeting by registered or certified mail at least seven calendar days in advance. Compliant operators generally appear at the meeting in person or through an attorney and engage in good-faith discussions, knowing that statements made during conciliation are confidential and cannot later be introduced as evidence of a violation without written consent from both parties. If conciliation produces an agreement, it carries the legal weight of a settlement under § 54-68, and the parties may also agree to binding arbitration as part of that resolution.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Park Forest Ch. 54 § 54-65 gives complainants the right to participate in a structured conciliation process overseen by the community relations administrator before a fair-housing complaint proceeds to the fair housing review board. A complainant must receive at least seven days' advance notice by registered or certified mail before any conciliation meeting and may appear in person or through an attorney. If conciliation does not resolve the matter, the administrator is required to transfer the complaint to the fair housing review board, and tenants who want to understand their options at any stage may find it helpful to consult a tenant-rights organization familiar with Park Forest's human relations ordinance.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation