DeKalb Times

DeKalb County Planning, Zoning & Development Committee met Oct. 23.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

The Planning, Zoning, & Development Committee of the DeKalb County Board met on October 23, 2024 at 6:30 pm in the DeKalb County Community Outreach Building, Five Seasons Room, in DeKalb, Illinois. In attendance were: Committee Members: John Frieders, Rhonda Henke, Laura Hoffman, Jim Luebke, Terri Mann-Lamb, Jerry Osland, and Roy Plote; and Community Development Department staff: Derek Hiland and Marcellus Anderson. Also, in attendance were: County Board member John Lyon; DeKalb County Sheriff Andrew Sullivan; Charles Shepard, Vice-Chair of the DeKalb County Public Building Commission; and James Hutcheson.

Call to Order / Roll Call

Ms. Mann-Lamb, the Planning, Zoning, & Development Committee Chair, called the meeting to order.

Approval of Agenda

Committee Action: Ms. Henke moved to approve the agenda, seconded by Ms. Hoffman, and the motion carried unanimously.

Approval of the Minutes of the September 25, 2024 Planning, Zoning, & Development Meeting

Committee Action: Mr. Luebke moved to approve the minutes of the September 25, 2024 meeting, seconded by Mr. Plote, and the motion carried unanimously.

Public Comments

Charles Shepard, the Vice-Chair of the DeKalb County Public Building Commission, introduced himself. He noted that he was also on the City of DeKalb’s Building Code Review Board. He described the City of DeKalb’s efforts to update their Building Code to the 2021 series, noting that many of the communities in the area were also looking at doing so. Mr. Shepard finished by informing the Committee that he was available for any questions that might have.

Ordinances

Ordinances O2024-11 — An ordinance approving updates to Chapter 14 Building Code Amendments of the County Code on a proposal by the Community Development Department for changes to the text of Chapter 14 – Buildings and Building Regulations.

Mr. Hiland informed the Committee that he had been working with the Steve Julseth, DeKalb County Chief Building Inspector, to update the County’s building codes from the 2015 series it was currently using to the 2021 series, and to update the County’s Building Permit fee schedule. He described the reasons behind doing the updates and how they went about doing it. He noted that the Committee member’s packets contained a copy of the proposed updates and also brought the proposed updates up on the room monitors. Mr. Hiland noted that Mr. Julseth was in attendance, and was available to answer any questions.

Mr. Shepard informed the Committee that the City of Sycamore had passed their update on Monday, October 23rd, and talked about some of the challenges the City of DeKalb has faced in going through all of the codes.

Mr. Hiland showed the Committee the current Building Codes (which is based on the 2015 series) and gave a detailed description of the process they used to go through the codes to amend it to the 2021 series. He also elaborated on the reasoning and process they used to develop the proposed fee changes.

A brief discussion was had regarding the County’s use of the Illinois State Plumbing Code.

Discussion was had regarding how the building permit fees would be determined for a new house, and which codes would be applicable.

The Committee discussed with Mr. Hiland how the Building Code regulations did and did not apply to agriculturally-exempt residences.

Mr. Osland inquired whether the code addressed “barndominiums”. Mr. Hiland explained that the code does not specifically address these structures, and such structures would be required to have plans signed and stamped by an architect.

Mr. Hiland and Mr. Shepard elaborated on the how the building code series change over time, noting that the State requires that adopted building codes not be more than three cycles behind, explaining that this was part of why they were seeking the update.

Discussion was had as to why certain elements of the building code had been omitted.

Mr. Hiland asked the Committee members to review the materials and let him know before the next County Board meeting if they see anything else in the codes that need to be addressed.

Further discussion was had regarding the fees, including how often the fees could be changed and issues some members had with the fees. Further discussion was also had regarding other elements of the code.

Committee Action: Ms. Henke moved to recommend approval of the proposal, as currently written, to update of the DeKalb County Building Codes form the 2015 series to the 2021 series, seconded by Mr. Luebke, and the motion was carried unanimously.

Resolutions

(none)

Considerations / Discussion Items

Mr. Plote reported on a situation where a solar farm developer had taken Vermillion County to court after having been denied by its County Board. He related that a local person had it explained to them that the matter was going to go back before that County Board, and if the Board votes it down again, it is presumed that the States Attorney will overturn the vote, because the States Attorney has to uphold state law. And, that the solar company has threatened to sue for loss of revenue if any further delays occur. Mr. Plote noted that previously solar companies had to secure the required local approvals before they approached the utility company for an interconnection agreement. But now that the State has rubber stamped the process, they do not have to wait anymore.

Ms. Henke inquired as to why most of the solar farms in our area did not have their “ducks in a row” before they came to us. Mr. Hiland gave an overview of the history of State’s solar programs and explained how the actions of Commonwealth Edison and PJM created delays in these programs. He noted that things were getting better, but that things are still a bit of a mess for developers. Mr. Frieders reported that there was a full-page article that had recently appeared in the Aurora Beacon regarding this issue.

Mr. Frieders noted that wind in the western part of the state was far more advanced than solar. A discussion was then had regarding blade recycling, and the advances in wind technology.

Old Business

(None)

New Business

Mr. Hiland noted that there were two (2) public hearings coming up and that he was looking to have the Committee meet one more time before the new Board is seated in December. This would require that a special meeting occur in November, so that these items do not get delayed until after the first of the year. After further discussion, the Committee agreed to meet on November 13, 2024, at 6:00 pm, which would be before the meeting of the Committee of the Whole.

Mr. Frieders inquired whether the methane gas at the landfill had been hooked up yet or not. Mr. Hiland responded that it was close, but that they have had some issues with Commonwealth Edison.

Ms. Henke inquired as to when the Committee will address the rodeo / animal welfare issue. Mr. Hiland responded that he was not sure and looked for direction from the Committee. A discussion was had regarding what actions the County could and could not take, and what it would take to make changes to the County Code. After which, Mr. Hiland was directed to make this a future agenda item for the Committee to address. Mr. Hiland noted that given the elections and holidays, it would appear on the agenda sometime after the first of the year.

Adjournment

Mr. Luebke moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Ms. Henke, and the motion carried unanimously.

https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/minutes-pz-10232024.pdf