Audio recordings from the August 1st Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing regarding a proposed text amendment to commercial horse boarding codes have been posted to the Village website. To access the menu of edited recordings by agenda item, click here.
The hearing lasted just over two hours and fifteen minutes. It would likely have lasted much longer, but the multipurpose room at Countryside Elementary School was only available until 10:00 PM.
We’ve reviewed the recordings entirely, and after a certain point, it became readily apparent that accurately summarizing what transpired during the entire meeting would be too long for readers to endure. Indeed, after an hour and a half we felt like the crew assigned to clean up after horses in a holiday parade of equal duration – overloaded with muck, good for nothing except composting.
Two residents made public comments prior to the hearing. The first to speak was a sitting trustee on our Village Board, and his remarks can be heard by clicking here.
The second person to speak was a resident who took exception to comments made at a prior Board of Trustees meeting regarding groundwater pollutants from equestrian facilities, and also volunteered to provide the Zoning Board with documentation in her possession of groundwater contamination. Her comments can be heard here.
When the public hearing was convened, the Zoning Board chair read a statement from the Village regarding the petition before the board and the Village’s position as it relates to ongoing litigation between neighbors. Click here to review this recording.
The attorney representing the petition applicant was then invited to present their proposed text amendment, which took about forty-five minutes, including questions from the board. This recording can be heard here.
Attendees were then invited to ask questions or provide facts for the board to consider in their deliberations. Unfortunately, the hour that ensued was spent on matters from the past on horse boarding issues, some personal assaults and little, if anything, productive for the board to consider.
In our opinion, the chair and counsel allowed too much latitude for attendees to pursue personal agendas instead of presenting facts at this meeting. But then again, they are not veterans of these contentious testimony rodeos. Perhaps with the first hearing under their belts, tonight’s continuation will include more relevant testimony for the Zoning Board to consider and less infighting that serves no useful purpose.
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