The recordings from October 26th Board of Trustees meeting have been released. Click here to access the link from the Village website.
Archive for the ‘Plan Commission’ Category
October Board of Trustees meeting recordings released
Posted in Agendas, Audio Recordings, Building Department, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lighting Ordinance, Minutes, OMA, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Real Estate, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Special Use Permits, Topics Of Interest, Traffic, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village Treasurer, Zoning Board on October 29, 2020| 1 Comment »
March Board of Trustee meeting recordings released
Posted in Audio Recordings, Building Department, Crime, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Police Reports, Roads & Bridges Committee, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Engineer, Village Treasurer, Zoning Board on March 28, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Recordings from the remotely orchestrated Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday night have been posted and can be accessed for your listening pleasure by clicking here.
At the beginning of Trustee Brian Cecola’s Public Safety report, he read a letter he entered in to the record that we felt we should post now in light of the events on Old Sutton Road three weeks ago today.
His letter reads as follows:
“I want take this opportunity as public safety chair to personally thank our officers for the fine work they did with this recent incident. I also want to thank our surrounding communities police tasks force without their assistance and support it would be impossible tb investigate and handle situations like this.
As the public may or may not be aware when we have incidents, we rely upon intergovernmental agreements with surrounding communities to support each other in investigations.
In a recent meeting with the village president and administrator and in conjunction with the treasurer and the Police Chief I am advocating to move forward with presenting the· costs associated with this investigation for immediate reimbursement from the property owner the rental company agencies and the responsible party who rented this property.
As you may all be aware this village board tasked our Village attorney with notifying the owner of their non-compliance which they did promptly days prior to this incident.
It appears the property owner and rental agencies ignored our Instructions even after they agreed days prior that they were in violation.
They did so at their peril and if we do not recover our taxpayer’s costs then I suggest we take immediate legal action to do so.”
Hopefully Police Chief Joseph Colditz will have much more to report on this incident very soon.
Family of Chicago man killed at Barrington Hills rental home party seeking answers on shooting (so would residents)
Posted in Cook, County, Crime, Land Use, Plan Commission, Police Reports, Real Estate, VBHPD, Village Code, Zoning Board on March 21, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Sean Patton Jr., 28, was shot and killed March 7, 2020 at a party held at a rental home in the 300 block of Old Sutton Road in Barrington Hills. – Original Credit: Family of Seah Patton Jr.(Family of Sean Patton Jr. / HANDOUT)
When Litita Herrod’s daughter woke her up in the early morning hours of March 7, she said she just knew something bad had happened.
But soon she learned her worst fear had come true. Her son, Sean Patton Jr., 28, had been shot and killed hours earlier at what authorities called a “large party” held at a big, ranch-style rental home in Barrington Hills.
According to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, Patton’s death was determined to be a homicide due to multiple gunshot wounds.
Barrington Hills Police Department spokesman William Walsh said Wednesday no arrests have been made. He said investigators are following leads but have not publicly identified any suspects.
Walsh also said that multiple people were shot during the incident. He said authorities are working to identify the others who were shot.
Read the full story here.
Barrington Hills officials discussed short-term house rentals just weeks before fatal shooting
Posted in Audio Recordings, County, Crime, Ethics, Land Use, Plan Commission, Property Taxes, Real Estate, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Government on March 12, 2020| 2 Comments »
A flyer advertising the rental home at 346 Old Sutton Road in Barrington Hills is pictured March 10, 2020 outside the business where Cook County treasurer’s office records show the property’s tax bills are sent. The home became a crime scene after a Chicago man was shot and killed there March 7.(Pioneer Press / Pioneer Press)
Less than two weeks before a Chicago man was shot and killed at an Airbnb rental home in Barrington Hills, village officials discussed at a meeting the issue of short-term rentals.
Village officials discussed the issue at the Feb. 24 Village Board meeting, according to an audio recording of the meeting.
They mentioned nearby Lake Barrington’s decision a few years back to ban short-term rental after an early-morning shooting in April 2016 that left two people injured.
Ultimately, the Barrington Hills Village Board decided to wait for more information and research on what other communities have done.
According to village attorney Mary Dickson, the village code does not explicitly address short-term rentals, but it says that property in the residential district is only allowed for residential use, not commercial use. She said the fact that the owner did not live in the house and was only going to use it as a rental violates the code.
Dickson said the property owners were made aware of this violation prior to March 6.
Read more from the Chicago Tribune here.
Related: “NEW! Solitude Ranch w/Indoor Pool, Event Friendly! $599 per night”
Plan Commission requests feedback on Village Comprehensive Plan updates
Posted in BACOG, BACT, Citizens for Conservation, Community Alerts, EJ&E/Canadian National, Flint Creek/Spring Creek Watersheds Partnership, FPDCC, Horizon Farms, Horse Boarding, IDOT, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Land Use, Longmeadow Parkway, Plan Commission, Real Estate, Traffic, Uncategorized, Village Government, Well Water Quality on June 27, 2019| Leave a Comment »
In May of last year, the Board of Trustees directed the Plan Commission to review the Village Comprehensive Plan and make recommendations for any changes they saw fit for the Board to adopt. The last time the Comprehensive Plan was updated was 2005 and amendments were approved in 2008.
After nearly a year of work and meetings, the Plan Commission has agreed to the changes they would like seen in the Plan. A copy of their proposed 2019 Village Comprehensive Plan can be viewed and downloaded here.
A public hearing is scheduled for July 8th at 6:30 PM to allow residents to voice their comments, or feedback can be provided to the Village Clerk at clerk@vbhil.gov.
Foundation agrees to help fund new initiatives at Barrington District 220
Posted in 220, Barrington 220 Foundation, Board of Education, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Organizations, Plan Commission, School Districts, Village Board, Zoning Board on May 4, 2019| Leave a Comment »
A private foundation supporting Barrington Area Unit District 220 has agreed to help fund a proposed outdoor education initiative and expansion of an entrepreneurship program into the middle schools.
Click on image to enlarge
Mary Dale, executive director of the Barrington 220 Foundation, said the nonprofit will provide a to-be-determined donation for the district’s proposed outdoor science laboratory off Hart Road. The lab would be on part of an undeveloped 67 acres the district owns, and officials say it could cost up to $750,000 to build.
Dale said the foundation also will donate $27,000 to District 220 for creation of the business incubator for eighth-graders at the two middle schools, allowing those students to have a “bridge” between similar programs in fifth grade and high school.
She said the two major projects were recommended for the funding after a vetting process by a committee that included residents and foundation officials. Foundation board trustees gave the final approval, with the selections revealed at a recent soiree at Barrington’s White House.
Read more here.
Board of Trustees meeting tonight
Posted in 220, Agendas, Board of Education, Board of Health, ePacket Agendas, Equestrian Commission, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, Heritage and Environs Committee, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Pension Funding, Plan Commission, Plum Farm development, Police Reports, Public Safety, Public Safety Committee, Roads & Bridges Committee, School Districts, Special Use Permits, Topics Of Interest, Uncategorized, VBHPD, Village Board, Village Code, Village Government on September 25, 2017| Leave a Comment »
The Village Board will meet on tonight September 25th at 6:30 PM. The agenda and e-Packet can be found here.
July Board meeting audio recordings released
Posted in Audio Recordings, Barrington Hills Farm, Building Department, Cell Towers, Conflict of interest, County, HARPS, Heritage and Environs Committee, Heritage Fest, Insurance Committee, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Land Use, McHenry, OP/Ed, Plan Commission, Public Safety, Riding Club of BH, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Uncategorized, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Code, Village Government, Village President on August 8, 2017| 4 Comments »
Audio recordings from the July 24th, 2017 meeting of the Board of Trustees have been posted. To access the menu of recordings edited by agenda item, click here.
Most of the brief meeting consisted of routine business, but, again, property owned by Barrington Hills Farm LLC (BHFarm) provided the most interesting fodder for discussion. As we mentioned previously, the owner(s) of the unoccupied property at 2400 Spring Creek Road had been cited for demolition of a residence without a building permit and for removal of two posted Stop Work Order signs. Additionally, many trees and much vegetation had been removed without a permit required under the village’s Heritage Tree Ordinance.
Trustee Colleen Konicek asked Administrator Bob Kosin for an update on the situation. The issue of the removal of the Stop Work Order signs is currently in the hands of the village prosecutor, and the courts will be left to determine if the violation did take place, and what fines, if any, should be imposed. Kosin went on to state that the necessary demolition permit had now been obtained, albeit AFTER the fact, and that according to the demolition contractor, none of the work to remove the debris from the demolition of the 2900 sq. ft. home had required an overweight permit. Trustee Brian Cecola strongly questioned the notion that a residence of that size could be taken down without the need for an overweight permit. Konicek pressed the issue further, asking Kosin what evidence had been provided that an overweight permit had not been required? Kosin was forced to admit there was no evidence, just the word of the contractor. We wonder how many other residents would be afforded this same benefit of the doubt.
On the issue of the trees that had been removed, Kosin stated that the Village’s tree contractor had been sent out, and he determined that no heritage trees had been lost or jeopardized on the site, again AFTER the fact, and that the property owner had been appropriately billed (and paid ) for the arborist’s inspection fee. Kosin expressed supreme confidence in the arborist’s psychic abilities to determine the species of trees which had been removed, without ever having seen them. We don’t quite understand how this was possible — perhaps he conducted a DNA analysis of the sawdust residue?
President Martin McLaughlin expressed concern about the objectivity of the arborist, Chuck Stewart, who had performed the study of the property, because Stewart rents office space in a building owned by one of the members of the board of Barrington Hills Farm. Trustee Michelle Maison was also troubled by this perceived conflict of interest and inquired if another independent tree analysis should be conducted.
McLaughlin then brought up the issue of the deannexation request (dated July 17, 2017) for 2400 Spring Creek Road. Back in the fall, the trust controlling BHFarm had expressed interest in annexing ALL of the former Duda property back into the Village during a friendly 2 1/2 hour staff meeting during which the village outlined two timelines to complete the annexation petition process. He found it odd that first they wanted to annex into the village, and now they want to annex out of the village. He also reminded the new Board members about the trust’s previous request for an easement for its proposed HARPS facility (which still has not broken ground). The trust had wanted an easement, requested it, constructed the legal documents for it, and when the Board agreed to it, the trust wanted the easement out.
McLaughlin described how the Village has gone out of its way to say “yes” numerous times to requests by BHFarm, and explained how the Village has tried to work with the individuals representing BHFarm, only to have the trust change their minds about things that they themselves had asked for. He likened dealing with the BHFarm trust as doing the Hokey Pokey — they want the easement in, they want the easement out, they want to annex in, they want to annex out. All of it, he said, amounted to much silliness, and in our opinion, wasting of board and staff time, not to mention taxpayer dollars.
Doing the annexation hokey pokey
Trustee Paula Jacobsen wondered why the village couldn’t have employed a warmer and fuzzier process to inform the property owner of their violation of the cease and desist order, perhaps by placing a personal phone call. Jacobsen was either playing dumb in thinking that property owners’ phone numbers are listed on property deeds, or perhaps she was pandering to BHFarm’s board which is headed by a prominent donor to her recent trustee campaign. Her point seemed to be that the property owner was not being treated in a neighborly manner, despite the fact that the only publicly available contact information is an street address in Chicago. Never did she place any onus on the property owner who apparently assumed that it was okay to knock down a house without consulting the municipal authorities in advance. Maybe she has never heard of the expression “ignorance of the law is no excuse”?
And, if the village had gone to extreme lengths to track down a telephone number in this particular instance, wouldn’t that create a dangerous precedent for the village’s future contacts with other property owners? AND, does Jacobsen really believe that the contractor(s) who removed the trees and demolished the residence didn’t inform their employer of the Stop Work Order?
Those conversations can be heard here.
Later in the meeting, during discussion of the disconnection petition itself, Village Attorney Mary Dickson described the legal requirements for disconnection and confirmed that the subject property meets all of them. However, the village cannot act on such a petition sooner than 30 days after receiving it, and, as a result, the attorney will prepare an ordinance for possible action at the next Board meeting in August.
Dickson cautioned that any penalties regarding the cease and desist order violation pending in court should be resolved and that any other monies due to the Village should be paid PRIOR to the Board of Trustees taking final action on BHFarm’s petition.
Jacobsen continued to puzzle over the reason for the disconnection request into unincorporated McHenry County, and asked if the petitioner would be making a presentation to the Board explaining the reasons for the disconnection. Dickson explained that no such presentation is legally necessary. (We suggest that Jacobsen pick up the telephone a place a neighborly phone call if she wants to quench her curiosity.) Attorney Dickson opined that maybe developmental rights are the reason, and perhaps the best prospects for the owner’s desired development of the property may lie with the county rather than the village. We’d say that Ms. Dickson hit the nail on the head with that assessment.
The disconnection discussion can be heard here.
July 24th Board of Trustees meeting agenda posted
Posted in Agendas, ePacket Agendas, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, Heritage and Environs Committee, Insurance Committee, Minutes, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Public Safety Committee, Roads & Bridges Committee, Roads and Bridges, Topics Of Interest, Uncategorized, VBHPD, Village Board, Village Code, Village Government, Village President, Zoning Board on July 22, 2017| 4 Comments »
The Village Board will meet on Monday July 24th at 6:30 PM. The agenda can be viewed here and the e-Packet can be found here. Of special note is a petition for de-annexation of 2400 Spring Creek Road, owned by Barrington Hills Farms, which was cited in recent building enforcement reports for demolition of a residence without a permit and possible violation of the Heritage Tree Ordinance.
Plan Commission meets this evening
Posted in 220, Agendas, Land Use, Meeting Minutes, Plan Commission, Real Estate, School Districts, Topics Of Interest, Uncategorized, Village Government on July 10, 2017| Leave a Comment »
The Plan Commission will meet tonight at 6:30 PM. A copy of their agenda and e-Packet materials can be viewed here.
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