County staff recommends ordinance changes for sign posting, revocation of special uses and procedural clarifications

LaSalle County land use staff on Sept. 17 proposed several procedural and administrative changes to the zoning ordinance, including codifying sign posting for hearings, adding an ordinance process to revoke special uses for repeated noncompliance, and clarifying rules about the chair's vote and quorum when attendance is limited.

Brian Gift told the board the county currently posts hearing signs as weather and staffing allow and uses temporary signs that can blow away. "I don't know if you wanna codify that requirement in the ordinance that that we need that we should post the hearing sign," Gift said, and staff proposed moving toward more durable, metal signage and an internal process (including deposits) to ensure consistent posting.

Gift also suggested adding explicit language to the ordinance to permit revocation of special uses when conditions are not followed and to formalize a process whereby the land use director would refer violations to the Land Use Committee and then to the County Board for an ordinance action. He emphasized the county's attorney would need to review the process to confirm legal sufficiency.

Board members raised a procedural question about whether the chair should be allowed to vote to preserve a quorum in an emergency. The chair asked to place the question on a future agenda for clarification so the board would follow a consistent practice.

No ordinance changes were adopted at the meeting; staff will draft proposed language for sign posting and revocation procedures and consult the county attorney on the revocation process before returning the language to the board and committee for review.