Campaign Signs Year-Round in Town?

The Planning and Zoning Commission/Board of Appeals met on Sept. 16 at Village Hall. Here is a rundown of what took place:

Political Campaign Signs

The Planning and Zoning Commission tabled a motion to recommend the village board approve changes to the ordinance governing display of political campaign signs on private property. The changes would reflect changes in the state ordinance, allowing political campaign signs to be displayed year-round. The current village ordinance only allows signs to be displayed 30 days before an election and two days after that.

The motion to recommend was tabled because of commissioners' concerns about potential political tension it could cause in the community year-round and the vagueness in the state ordinance about the size limitations for the signs. The commission will revisit the ordinance during its October 21 meeting, after village staff have looked into size limitations, said Director of Economic and Community Development Alan Zordan.

Putnam Subdivision

The commission voted unanimously to recommend the village board pass a resolution that would rezone the Putnam subdivision off LaPorte Road from a multi-residence zone to a single-residence one. Village staff said neighbors for the most part are in favor of the change, though a few were concerned about drainage because the new plan calls for the addition of an inlet that would cut down on drainage. The new plan would also preserve more trees than the original one.