Trustees to Talk Water Rates, Fence Rules, New Clerk Tonight

Tonight, village trustees will vote on raising your water rates for the second year in a row. The twist is, this is an increase village officials thought they’d already approved.

Last year, trustees approved a water rate hike of 70 cents per 1000 gallons, effective on March 1, 2010. At the same time, according to Finance Director Jeff Zoephel, village officials thought the board had given the nod to a second increase, this one for 50 cents per 1000 gallons, which was scheduled to take effect on March 1 of this year.

However, Zoephel said, that second approval never happened. So he’s bringing it back before the board tonight. Zoephel said the rate increase is already factored into the 2012 budget, which trustees passed earlier this month, and several projects depend on it.

Specifically, he said, two public works positions, and improvements to Well 15 and the Knell Road treatment plant are slated to be funded with rate increase money. If it doesn’t pass, he said, the village will have to “go back and look at what projects we committed to, and see what we can put off.”

The 2011 increase will bring the water rate to $4.75 per 1000 gallons for those within the village limits, and $6.03 per 1000 gallons for those outside them.

Also tonight, trustees will look at changing the rules for fences and lots, based on several recommendations by staff and the Plan Commission. According to Jane Tompkins, community development director, there are eight main changes that will affect village residents, and most of them relax restrictions currently in place.

Should the new regulations pass:

• Residents will be allowed to build six-foot-high fences on corner side yards, as opposed to the three-foot-high rule in place now. However, west side neighborhoods still covered under annexation agreements will have to stick with four-foot-high fences.
• Corner side yards will now begin at the edge of the front yard, instead of overlapping it, and to the rear edge of the property. This seems technical, but it will allow a simpler boundary for permits, Tompkins said.
• Those same side yards will now not extend past the front façade of the house, which will make it easier for homeowners to figure out what can be stored or built in which part of their property.
• Double frontage lots, meaning those bounded by streets on either side, will have their properties completely remapped. Currently, the rules for front yards apply to just about all of a double frontage lot, but under the new rules, only the yard in front of the house will be considered a front yard. This seems obvious, but under the current rules, swingsets are not allowed behind homes in double frontage lots. The new rules would allow that.
• Sheds will be restricted to 200 square feet. This is a tightening, but one that closes a loophole, Tompkins said—there are currently no rules about the size of sheds, and residents are building larger ones and using them as garages. This would prevent that, she said.
• Homeowners will no longer be told they can only build on 40 percent of their rear yards. Instead, the village will stick with a more comprehensive rule that restricts development to 35 percent of any lot.
• Setbacks of new homes will be determined by the average of the existing homes in that block.
• Chain link fences will be permitted for utilities, school and park sites. Wooden fences will be required everywhere else.

The board will also consider the nomination of Carla Cooper to the position of village clerk, and will discuss paying Icon Enterprises CivicPlus $14,357 to redesign the village website.

Tonight's meeting is also the last for Trustees Jeanne Felten and Rob Watermann, who both lost their re-election bids on April 5. New trustees Stan Bond and Matt Brolley will take their seats on May 9.

Trustees will meet at 7 p.m. at , 200 N. River Street. The meeting is open to the public.