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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07 11 17 Minutes Minutes Ÿ Tuesday, July 11, 2017 Ÿ 6:15 PM Robert Gilliam Municipal Complex, City Hall Second Floor South Conference Room 150 Dexter Ct., Elgin, IL 60120 A. Call to order (chairperson) B. Roll Call (staff liaison) Commissioners Aagesen, Hajek, Keare, Masterson, Segel and Waden present. Commissioner Aagesen assumed role of chairperson in Chairperson Knoerr’s absense. C. Approval of previous meeting’s minutes April 2017 minutes were approved. June minutes would be voted on at the following meeting when Chairperson Knoerr is present, as she was one of three present at that meeting. D. Discussion Items 1. Beekeeping Discuss whether or not to recommend a city ordinance and what criteria to include The commission discussed the Evanston ordinance and Naperville ordinance. More parameters could be wise when rolling out a new ordinance. The fencing maximum is six feet in the city, so that would need to be considered. Setback issues could vary, but ideally could depend distance from an occupied structure. Commissioner Waden provided that different areas of the city have different lot widths. For example, three have widths of about 65 feet, which is not very large. This may play a role in setbacks as well: A 20 foot setback would keep those homeowners from being able to participate. Setbacks could be modeled after the city’s backyard chickens ordinance. Hives are typically elevated off the ground and take up about two square feet of space. Commissioner Waden will work with the city’s GIS system to develop views of different lot sizes with setbacks marked. Commissioner Aagesen motioned the group come back with ordinance recommendations for a pilot program to review at the August meeting. The motion passed. 2. Metro Farms field trip recap Attendees to provide recap of the trip to Metro Farm and what next steps are recommended regarding the Partners for Places grant opportunity Liason and Commissioner Keare provided a recap of the tour. The commission expressed the city’s role could be to support a feasibility study for such a project or look into ways to change zoning in areas to support projects like that. The commission motioned to put this idea aside for now and go focus on accomplishing action plan goals. During that process, if something is discovered to be a good opportunity for the grant, we can pursue it then. The motion passed. E. Old Business 1. Sustainability Action Plan Update Review commissioner research findings and plan next steps to achieving objectives It would be worthwhile to require new home construction and developments to run conduit so homes are solar ready. Commissioner Hajek will discuss with the planning department if there are restrictions or what requirements would involve. Comissioner Hajek suggested we look at what we want to do first, and then see if there is code that prohibits it, rather than the other way around. The group can then reate a wish list of ordinances to change. Commissioner Aagesen is working on a multi-family unit recycling survey. Commissioners Aagesen and Masterson are looking into providing educational presentations to schools and in the community. They hope to get Wanxiang Solar Panels manufacturers to come in and provide a demonstration. Liaison suggested the Alignment Collaborative for Education and U46 have a career fair that may be a good opportunity. She will provide a contact. 2. Backyard Chickens Discuss program expansion Given the increased interest, nearly inexistent complaint statistics and permit progress, the commission is recommending expansion without a limit to number of household licenses. Liaison will present a draft memo to the commission an upcoming meeting. The commission will assist in looking up other community statistics, such as license limits. In addition, it is a good time to review construction requirements. For example, perhaps it should not matter if a person prefers to use 1x8” or 2x4” wood for framing. In addition, the commission would research what prefabrication coops fit city specs and list them on the website, to save new license holders time in the permitting process if they are not building their own coop from scratch. 3. Trip to Freedom Field Discuss organizing fall trip to Freedom Field open to the public It would be feasible to rent a school bus for the trip. Liaison will see if the September 16 is available for a bus driver. F. Commissioner comments/announcements 1. Liaison to update outgoing/incoming commissioners The new Simple Recycling program launched. 2. Liaison to provide Climate Mayors update Amber suggested tracking bike traffic, etc., rather than greenhouse gas emissions, may be more feasible. G. Adjourn The City of Elgin is subject to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Individuals with disabilities who plan to attend this meeting and who require certain accommodations in order to allow them to observe and/or participate in this meeting, or who have questions regarding the accessibility of the meeting or the facilities, are requested to contact ADA coordinator, at (847) 931-6076, or TTY/TDD (847) 931-5616 promptly to allow the City of Elgin to make reasonable accommodations for those persons.