In a bid to become more business-friendly, the Village of Mokena is dissolving two of its long-standing advisory committees to accelerate the process for new development.

Mayor George J. Metanias announced the suspension of the Economic Development Commission (EDC) and the Site Plan & Architectural Review Committee (SPARC) during the annual officer appointments at the June 23 Village Board meeting.

“I’m recommending to suspend two of our committees… in order to fast-track our process,” Metanias said. “It’s one of the things that developers have said to us about, you know, our process takes too long.”

By removing these two review stages, the village aims to create a more efficient and appealing path for developers looking to invest in Mokena.

Metanias stressed that the decision was not a reflection on the performance of the volunteer members serving on those commissions.

“Nothing against anybody on those commissions,” he stated. “Everybody on there, the men and women, are doing a fantastic job, and I appreciate everything you’ve done. I thank you guys tremendously for that.”

He added that he would like to keep the names of the affected commission members for consideration for future openings on other village boards.

The announcement was made as the Village Board approved its slate of appointments for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, which included the reappointment of numerous village staff and volunteer commission members. Among the appointments was a new member, Colleen Patrick-Lenart, to the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals.