Earlier today we published the agenda (seenhere) for tonight’s Board of Trustees meeting. We included links to both the approved 2021 Appropriations, and the proposed 2022 Appropriations, and a longtime subscriber shared the following:
“Of the total decrease in Legal Expense ($948,937), decrease in Litigation, Planning/Zoning and FOIA expense ($446,000) represents 56.3 % of the total decrease.
Unless one examines the budget items in detail, one might conclude that the current administration is doing a pretty good job of managing the finances of the Village. That would be an incorrect assumption. It hides other areas of the budget (such as Permit Administration) where improper management may be concluded.
It should also be noted that much of the huge legal expense incurred in recent years revolves around the desires of one resident to impose a huge commercial horse boarding operation on residents, in effect having residents subsidizing equestrian amenities and lifestyle to non-residents by giving access to the Equestrian Trail System.”
[Vote] An Ordinance Amending Section 5-5-3 of the Village’s Zoning Regulations to Include, in the Allowed List of Special Uses, Non-commercial Event Facility Ordinance 21 –
A copy of the agenda can be viewed and downloadedhere. The meeting is open to those wishing to attend or readers can listen in by calling 508-924-1464.
“The Village has received multiple requests, concerns and comments regarding InZone and the property occupied by Terrance Wallace. The Village is in the process of investigating the proposed use and is gathering additional information regarding any such use.
The Village has retained special counsel,Ancel Glink, to assist with the InZone inquiry as well as pending zoning applications for approval of non-residential uses. The Village’s counsel has been in contact with Mr. Wallace and is attempting to schedule a meeting to discuss InZone’s proposed uses. An initial meeting was scheduled with Mr. Wallace to review his proposed use of the property. However, Mr. Wallace requested that the meeting be cancelled.
The Village’s counsel will continue its efforts to meet with Mr. Wallace to obtain additional information to evaluate the proposed use of the property under the applicable local ordinances including but not limited to the building codes, safety codes, and zoning codes. All properties in the Village must adhere to theVillage Code.”
As you may be aware, the Village of Barrington Hills has received media coverage and social media posts regarding a proposal by the InZone Project and Mr. Terrence Wallace. Various comments and concerns about the proposal have been shared with the Village Board and Village Administration. The Village acknowledges the importance of ensuring that any project, including this proposal, complies with all applicable ordinances, laws, and regulations.
Recognizing that this proposal has generated significant community interest, the Village has retained Special Counsel to work directly with InZone and the Village to determine the most appropriate course of action for this proposal. We ask the community to be patient and understand that the Village is taking the steps necessary to ensure that this proposal satisfies all health, safety, and other standards. Compliance with these standards is in the best interests of the community regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, creed, religion, or any other individual self-identified status or immutable characteristic.
The Barrington Hills Bulletin Board claims to be, “AN ALTERNATE RESOURCE OUTLET FOR LOCAL BARRINGTON HILLS RESIDENTS TO READ, COMMENT AND REACT TO NEWS AND TOPICS WITH THE INTENT TO EDUCATE, PROVIDE AWARENESS, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO RESIDENTS IN A UNCENSORED FORMAT.”
The Barrington Hills Bulletin Board posts fabrications, typo-ridden incoherent ramblings and now offers a new feature to their minimally followed blog; censorship of comments that are posted on Facebook (“…some comments may have been filtered out”).
As for the offensive comment that was, “filtered out”?
“Paragraphs and proper grammar and punctuation would be nice.”
The Village Board will meet on Monday June 26th at 6:30 PM. The agenda can be viewed here. The e-Packet was not posted as of Saturday evening, but we presume when it is posted, it will be found here.
The ePacket agenda containing links to documents to be discussed during Tuesday evening’s Village Board meeting has been posted. To access the ePacket link, click here.
Following are some of the articles published by The Observer in November in the last few years. These articles, gathered from various publications and editorials, are noteworthy for residents in that they remind us of where we’ve been as a community.
Embattled horse farm owners say they have been complying with the Village of Barrington Hills zoning code and its president agreed, though neighbors still insist the farm is operating illegally and should be shut down.
Benjamin and Cathleen LeCompte, owners of Oakwood Farms in Barrington Hills, and Village President Robert Abboud said the farm has changed a few operation standards, and has been in compliance with the village’s Home Occupation Zoning Ordinance since February.
Read the TribLocal article published five years ago here.
An economic proposal to control horse boarding businesses – 2011
This Monday evening, November 14, 2011, the Zoning Board of Appeals will again take up the controversial subject of large-scale commercial horse boarding in our Village. Numerous proposals have been floated, rejected, and then floated again in recent memory. Who knows what will come out of Village Hall after Monday’s meeting. Here is an idea: If large horse boarding businesses are going to be allowed in our Village, at the expense of our quiet residential character, they should pay fees and taxes as businesses.
On October 22, 2012, The Observer published the Barrington Hills 2012 Resident Survey. Readers and subscribers participated, as did many of the more than eight hundred residents who received an invitation to take the survey via email. By the time the survey period closed on Sunday October 28, two hundred twenty-six residents had completed the survey, and eighty-four of them chose to provide their own personal comments and insightful observations based on their years living in the Village.
Revisit the Village survey results from four years ago here.
Better safe than sorry – 2014
Last month during a special Village Board meeting, the Board of Trustees had the opportunity to ask questions of three law firms who were invited to present their qualifications to serve Barrington Hills. Board members asked representatives of Zukowski, Rogers, Flood & McArdle their opinion on whether the Village should undertake legislation changing our Village Code related to horse boarding [Anderson II] when there is active litigation occurring between two private parties if such legislation might affect one party over the other.
David McArdle, a partner with the firm, responded, “We wouldn’t recommend that you pass a rule, pass a law, that favors one party over another.” When asked again in a different way, he stated, “We wouldn’t recommend that.” (A link to the recording of that discussion can be accessed here).
Season’s first snow is Chicago’s largest November snowfall in 120 years – 2015
The season’s first snowfall dropped as much as 17 inches across Chicago’s northern suburbs, and the total of 11.2 inches at O’Hare International Airport made it the largest November snowfall in 120 years.
The Village Board of Trustees will be holding their monthly meeting this evening at 6:30 PM. Some of the topics on their agenda include:
The Village Board will meet on Monday August 28th at 6:30 PM. The agenda can be viewed 
