[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6246512,"mediaKeyId","3217328-e3500dcd1a2903f558790b14e2700571","parentId",3217328,"title","Assessor flags portable buildings used as homes in Willow Estates; questions exemptions and enforcement","audioSeconds",206,"startMs",264000,"endMs",470000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3217328-e3500dcd1a2903f558790b14e2700571&start=264&end=470","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3217328-e3500dcd1a2903f558790b14e2700571/thumbnail_264000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6246512/Iroquois-County/Illinois/Assessor-flags-portable-buildings-used-as-homes-in-Willow-Estates-questions-exemptions-and-enforcement","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6246512-b326a36de9098ceb63eb7edde8476dd4/orig.mp4?Expires=1773511129&Signature=eeRj-3fqTuPc6S2-CuTkbnLYfgIRKrJe8NEMkKNMAFj5evjx1C0Kw-9y8wnOY7FzHX-TnMMCtfc2vyYWemyKGEfnNa~C9IVa9mbmvoVhPduhpKqbknqHqdkILTfLKnEmcQzQMt1QUSi~e3EzJYpwG6sDph-FFRU4SVYlgU8L9Stj4qrJeieUZUIMloC0C6t4INmq0AFoStZFDh3vG8TkP0zb9bXcmOJbTr5SxrEPJS7QwFq7o2jhxhjmTn9nVL9O4yrLKHgH4psTOt1Izvwqxs~W5NjqQ5YuZKRRMiN5yICf6y8HYHOHAoxWfpXba4BxsESw5GbgrUUxqLJ0XdZaNg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Iroquiois County, IL","date","2025-05-07T20:54:54.363Z","article","The Iroquois County assessor told the Tax Planning and Zoning Committee on May 6 that staff identified several properties in Willow Estates where portable buildings appear to be used as dwelling units but are assessed as personal property and retain owner-occupied senior exemptions.

\"When I found them, they were being assessed basically as personal property. Then they also had an owner occupied exemption, a senior exemption, and a senior freeze on them, which essentially brought the assessed value down to zilch,\" the assessor said.

The assessor said she believes there may be four similar properties in the area and raised questions about whether the buildings are permitted and who has enforcement authority. The assessor said she discussed the issue with a colleague, Julie, and that the state's attorney has provided no clear direction about enforcement, fines or whether the county will pursue court action.

Committee members asked whether the health department could enforce standards such as water or septic; staff replied that enforcement options depend on direction from the state's attorney. The assessor also said one parcel likely has a nonfunctioning septic system and another property reportedly had no electricity, well or septic but an individual planned to live there. For safety reasons the assessor said she would not inspect one parcel alone.

The assessor asked whether raising assessments or removing exemptions might create other problems and said she sought county guidance before taking action. She also said she is preparing a resolution to address multi-township assessors who are not completing required reassessments and plans to consult a neighboring county about an enforcement process and fees for township reassessment work.

The committee discussed possible next steps; no enforcement action or formal policy change was adopted at the May 6 meeting. Staff said the matter will require coordination with the state's attorney and possibly health and zoning staff before any changes to assessments or exemptions are made.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","5-6-2025 Tax Zoning Committee Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Iroquois County assessor told the Tax Planning and Zoning Committee on May 6 that staff identified several properties in Willow Estates where portable buildings appear to be used as dwelling units but are assessed as personal property and retain owner-occupied senior exemptions.","taxTitle","Iroquois County, Illinois","taxId",67072,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6246517,"Committee discusses private family burials; no ordinance action taken",191,3324000,3515000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3217328-e3500dcd1a2903f558790b14e2700571&start=3324&end=3515","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3217328-e3500dcd1a2903f558790b14e2700571/thumbnail_3324000.jpg","/articles/6246517/Iroquois-County/Illinois/Committee-discusses-private-family-burials-no-ordinance-action-taken","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6246517-f26b386426d2a1e55f2de4229892fcd5/orig.mp4?Expires=1773511129&Signature=G3bfqjhfQLfhnoEncI6nhylru8~wm45BttvQdUHbmerciFW7eUVY5Fwa~6oIZXH0SLs51f7cxBa2Leufh1Ct1BI7XOApdSgFIb1RGAOfEtXKpwP7gKdisd3S49lxOjoqz4jzw-i~vBwNVi32e7cNUhUavxkz6U4ZcBrmsGijUbqoLzJW~asBUp1Y1HTqpcztZTAibaG6-NfvTUiWytG1c4~R686noUL8ZRP~J61asEtX9mFt7H14WMf6BlPMkJU-XdZlVhJCW~gAaaSa~L9KIpTcos72l~1ic8kMV8JSvyz1QdG-9z6We4p082P-KCs6PWoz26oUSZ0krmRQo5Kyew__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the Iroquois County Tax Planning and Zoning Committee discussed whether the County Board should consider rules for private family burials on May 6 but took no formal action.

The committee reviewed a proposed draft ordinance intended only as a starting point and debated whether the county should regulate family burials that occur on private property. Committee members said state law allows family burials but raised concerns about long-term care, recordkeeping and later discovery of remains by future landowners.

\"There's no action needed today except we need to decide, does this committee think that the county board should get involved with any rules or regulations concerning private burials,\" the committee chair said when introducing the topic.

Members expressed practical worries. One committee member asked how the county would ensure long-term maintenance and what would happen if a later owner uncovered remains: \"What ends up happening in 75 years or 50 years or 20 years even? I don't know how many years it would take for somebody to just abandon it and not maintain it and then have the situation that our coroner was saying ... second, third owner comes along. They dig. They find bones. You know, they got a homicide to investigate.\"

Participants also discussed technical details and options. County staff and the coroner had suggested possible requirements such as a permanent marker or an embedded vault bolt to aid future disinterment, and the committee noted existing cemetery law that imposes maintenance and taxing authorities on formal cemeteries. Several members said the county could place responsibilities on funeral directors to administer permits and paperwork if the committee moved forward.

The committee agreed to leave the matter as a discussion item for now; members said they would gather more information, including consulting the state’s attorney, funeral directors and the coroner, before proposing any ordinance language to the County Board.

No ordinance was drafted or voted on at the May 6 meeting; staff will return with options if the committee requests them.","Iroquois County Tax Planning and Zoning Committee discussed a proposed draft ordinance for private family burials on private property, expressing concerns about long-term maintenance, recordkeeping and potential coroner involvement. The committee took no action and tabled further work pending more stakeholder input.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6246523,"County engineers, Ameren to meet on floodplain ordinance issues and FEMA mapping",207,3101000,3308000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3217328-e3500dcd1a2903f558790b14e2700571&start=3101&end=3308","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3217328-e3500dcd1a2903f558790b14e2700571/thumbnail_3101000.jpg","/articles/6246523/Iroquois-County/Illinois/County-engineers-Ameren-to-meet-on-floodplain-ordinance-issues-and-FEMA-mapping","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6246523-d8b002422b8404c165c9924aa1ed8b7f/orig.mp4?Expires=1773511129&Signature=Po5vCFm5VLKYIKvnIBYCZ23retItY9MkVDxz0cJ47syP7hVZIPV1asoZgZqNrKlxM72paPv~FUG75XOmPzp1oTvwOIGntrN3rLvOJsLlyt2Qp-tzTibqW5VgoCbCO75-8nBged5aBdUXTjZHUzuMWiPC3XemHfjOEw5kKkaAS6ok4DDqgYcv~G5oa8CTG0VYTYQEjq243bgsgmjRirrLxdH7NhLMA2F00M5QUOT7mfLsiQ~SzwtFLGclAJEqdEum-5AEppEVZiDyyIffrI9yDGxSv~oEfGCPDDc6MNkUowxoCsi60j9L-sbXpQmKJnLcQXxi0tR-HcWrgyJG~ZpEMg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Iroquois County staff told the Tax Planning and Zoning Committee on May 6 that Ameren has responded to the county’s letter outlining 10 technical concerns about a proposed floodplain-related project and that engineers from both sides are scheduled to meet to resolve remaining issues.

The county has identified three outstanding technical items: a needed floodplain map revision that staff said should be handled through the Federal Emergency Management Agency process; compensatory-storage questions that arise where the county ordinance generally prohibits bringing in fill from off-site; and soil and groundwater conditions limiting the amount of effective storage available for a proposed mitigation design.

\"We got a response back from Ameren late last week saying that they would love their engineer to talk to our engineer, and there's a plan of meeting sometime this week for the engineers to talk,\" the committee chair said during the update.

County staff and the county engineer previously sent Ameren a list of technical concerns. County engineers reviewed Ameren’s responses and flagged three more detailed issues needing technical discussion: whether FEMA’s map-revision process will establish elevations acceptable to the county, how compensatory storage can or cannot be credited if fill would come from outside the development parcel, and the practical limits created by high groundwater and low-permeability soils.

Staff said the parties are attempting to resolve the issues before the county’s building season. The county’s attorney and engineers will continue direct discussions with Ameren’s engineers. The committee was told that Ameren has indicated willingness to engage in technical talks and that several of the county’s earlier concerns appear to be narrowing.

The committee requested staff continue updates as the engineer-to-engineer discussions proceed.","Iroquois County staff said Ameren responded to 10 areas of concern in the county’s floodplain review; engineers from both sides are scheduled to meet to resolve three remaining technical issues, including a FEMA map revision, compensatory storage questions and soil/groundwater constraints.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6246528,"Committee recommends county board consider solar, wind and battery-storage ordinances",1895,1154000,3049000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3217328-e3500dcd1a2903f558790b14e2700571&start=1154&end=3049","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3217328-e3500dcd1a2903f558790b14e2700571/thumbnail_1154000.jpg","/articles/6246528/Iroquois-County/Illinois/Committee-recommends-county-board-consider-solar-wind-and-battery-storage-ordinances","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6246528-49ee40b6c30fb645bbc949134fb4eab1/orig.mp4?Expires=1773511129&Signature=eF5ixXhonZSjp5n~Oc7KLjEUSfsD8zrxQ8s-1mqOxo9I902i1AlPDWtjcaBc2azMM0fi3QAIKn0yKF4AtdzITce0BdsVN1LcPY1f6mUwUIvvABim3TCoODfOBEHb1fjCBBGAvuYKsE8NiIxJouyfJg5wgAt5eEkpHxYjT9FMv3sfV6wZ3hsl3UiMQlIFA~COnN5GxHjsnV1EC7KE7tifbESCjL3sygTYCw30~nzPySvSBPydlFKRysHUc4eF2dDoR8arq3JFrkFo8oLL1D5GeBG-kLjf4xgP0kc7p6V2vtAAkSWxf622RwENUBrZ7SPRlfCFrGBZ8VjGVz~3vPorxg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Iroquois County Tax Planning and Zoning Committee voted May 6 to recommend that the County Board consider draft ordinances governing commercial solar, wind and battery storage projects after the Zoning Board of Appeals recommended the drafts without changes.

The recommendation follows a ZBA public hearing in which most testimony, the committee heard, focused on building-permit details such as vegetation screening and permit fees rather than the zoning provisions that control conditional-use approvals. Andrew Knight, the committee’s attorney, told members that the ordinance provisions in place when an application is deemed complete are those that apply to that application.

The ordinance package covers three separate but related items: a solar ordinance, a wind-energy ordinance and a standalone commercial battery-storage ordinance. Knight said conditional-use approvals and building permits are different steps: \"When they come back, there's usually ... sometimes it's several years before a project comes back with the building permit,\" and that different sections of an ordinance apply at each step.

Committee members and staff discussed safety and site conditions for battery projects. Knight said counties may attach project-specific conditions under the special-use statute (identified in the meeting as 120045) and that many battery-safety issues can be handled through conditions and third-party engineering review. He described common conditions such as heat detection, fire-suppression systems and other protections added at the building-permit stage.

Developers also appeared during public comment. Tom Hill of Scott Community described his firm as \"a developer owner operator\" working with the Gilman community and asked the committee to consider business-friendly provisions in the solar ordinance. Hill said his company's invested project could approach $200,000,000 in capital expense and that tax credits tied to using domestic materials were an important incentive.

Committee members raised several recurring local concerns: whether vegetation screening requirements would be practical, whether to cap building-permit fees, and whether a 15-foot buffer around battery containers is adequate (some ZBA members suggested a wider buffer such as 40 feet). Knight and staff noted that those are often addressed by condition and that, because no standalone battery projects were pending in the county, the committee can amend details later if needed.

The committee moved and seconded a recommendation to forward the three ordinances to the County Board; the Zoning Board of Appeals had sent the drafts forward with a recommendation of approval. No immediate amendments were made by the committee; members were advised they could propose minor tweaks later through the ZBA process.

Next steps include formal transmittal to the County Board for consideration. Knight said the committee may continue to require third-party engineering review and conditions on a project-by-project basis if safety questions or site-specific issues arise.","The Iroquois County Tax Planning and Zoning Committee voted to forward draft ordinances governing solar, wind and commercial battery storage to the County Board after the Zoning Board of Appeals recommended approval without changes. Committee members discussed timing, building-permit questions and site-specific safety conditions for batteries.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Assessor flags portable buildings used as homes in Willow Estates; questions exemptions and enforcement

Committee discusses private family burials; no ordinance action taken

County engineers, Ameren to meet on floodplain ordinance issues and FEMA mapping

Committee recommends county board consider solar, wind and battery-storage ordinances