SOUTH ROXANA – The Village of South Roxana has chosen to voluntarily dismiss its ordinance violation citation against the South Roxana Dad’s Club for holding an unpermitted public event earlier this year. The decision was made not because the Village lacked legal standing — officials remain confident the ordinance is valid and enforceable — but because the Village refuses to spend public funds litigating a case that could have been avoided through simple cooperation.
“This was never about punishing the Dad’s Club,” said Police Chief Bob Coles. “It was about following clear rules designed to protect public safety. We simply chose not to continue investing taxpayer dollars in a dispute that should never have happened.”
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The citation was issued after the Dad’s Club proceeded with a large public event without obtaining the necessary permits — not only from the Village, but also in violation of county and state requirements. The Dad’s club chose to move forward without authorization, despite multiple opportunities to resolve the matter.
Following the incident, several members of the Dad’s Club reached out to the Village, expressing frustration with how the Dad’s Club handled the situation. These members said the Dad’s Club should work with the village instead of fighting with it. According to Village officials, the message was clear: residents want cooperation, not conflict.
Village officials emphasized that if the Dad’s Club had worked with the Village—the permit process would have cost them nothing. Instead, their decision to operate outside the law has now resulted in thousands of dollars in legal expenses for both the organization and South Roxana taxpayers.
“There was a simple, cost-free option that would have allowed the event to move forward safely and legally,” said Mayor TJ Callahan. “Instead, they chose a path that drained resources and put everyone in a difficult position. This wasn’t about bureaucracy—it was about refusing to follow basic, commonsense rules.”
While the Village has dismissed the citation to prevent further waste of public funds, officials made clear that the ordinance remains in full effect. Moving forward, all organizations will be expected to comply with the law—and those who fail to do so should not expect the same outcome.
“If the rules are ignored again, the public will understand exactly why the Village is spending money to enforce them,” Chief Coles said. “The Village has made every effort to resolve these matters respectfully and without unnecessary problems. However, when groups choose to ignore the law, we have a duty to intervene. At that point, it’s not about cooperation—it’s about accountability.”
