The Village of Lake Bluff Sustainability & Community Enhancement Ad Hoc Committee voted on Aug. 19 to forward a draft outdoor-lighting ordinance and staff report to the village board for initial comment. Committee members said they wanted the board’s input before finalizing several remaining items, including grandfathering time frames and enforcement approaches.

"Can I get a motion to forward this draft to the village board for comment?" Chair Runer asked. Member Twitchell moved the motion "with enthusiasm," a second followed, and the committee approved the motion in a roll call vote with all members present voting "aye."

Committee discussion identified several items the board may question: grandfathering time frames for existing nonresidential and residential fixtures, enforcement options and whether to notify local lighting and landscaping companies about compliance requirements. A staff member summarized the draft’s current approach: nonresidential properties that retrofit fixtures before the effective period would receive building-permit discounts if work occurred within a four-year window; residential grandfathering would apply only when a project met a defined threshold for replacement or expense.

Members suggested distributing the draft to local outdoor-lighting companies and landscapers once village board comments are incorporated, so contractors understand Dark-Sky or other compliance requirements. One member said an outreach approach similar to the village’s handling of leaf-blower licensing could make it easier to ensure landscapers and lighting contractors receive notice and sign off on guidance.

The committee also noted that a small number of technical items remain (dates and enforcement language) and agreed to collect village board comments for final tweeks before formal adoption.

Speakers

Chair Runer — Chair, Sustainability & Community Enhancement Ad Hoc Committee (Village of Lake Bluff).
Member Twitchell — Member, Sustainability & Community Enhancement Ad Hoc Committee (mover of motion).
Member Manglecock — Member, Sustainability & Community Enhancement Ad Hoc Committee (second).
Member Buscio — Member, Sustainability & Community Enhancement Ad Hoc Committee.
Member Hans — Member, Sustainability & Community Enhancement Ad Hoc Committee.
Drew — Village staff member (first name only) who summarized draft provisions.

Authorities

[{"type":"ordinance_first_reading","name":"Draft outdoor lighting ordinance (staff report)","citation":"Draft text presented to Sustainability & Community Enhancement Ad Hoc Committee","referenced_by":["outdoor-lighting-draft-forwarded-to-village-board"]}]

Actions

{"kind":"referral","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"lighting-draft-2025-08-19"},"motion":"Forward draft outdoor-lighting ordinance and staff report to the village board for comment","mover":"Member Twitchell","second":"Member Manglecock","vote_record":[{"member":"Member Buscio","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Member Hans","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Member Twitchell","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Member Manglecock","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Chair Runer","vote":"yes"}],"tally":{"yes":5,"no":0,"abstain":0,"absent":0,"recused":0},"legal_threshold":{"met":true,"notes":"Committee majority vote to forward draft to village board for comment."},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Draft to be sent to village board for initial impressions; committee to incorporate board comments before finalization."}

Discussion / Direction / Decision

Discussion: Grandfathering periods (nonresidential four-year discount window; residential limited to large projects), enforcement language and outreach to local contractors.
Directions: Staff to send draft to village board and, after receiving board comments, committee to consider distributing the draft to local landscape and lighting contractors for awareness.
Decisions: Motion to forward the draft to the village board carried by unanimous roll call vote of members present.

Clarifying details

[{"category":"grandfathering_nonresidential","detail":"Nonresidential properties that retrofit prior to effective date would receive building-permit discounts if done within four years","value":4,"units":"years","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Drew"},{"category":"residential_grandfathering","detail":"Residential grandfathering applies only when project meets a defined replacement/expense threshold","value":"project threshold (unspecified)","units":"","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Drew"}]

Proper_names

[{"name":"Village of Lake Bluff","type":"agency"}]

Community_relevance

{"geographies":["Village of Lake Bluff"],"funding_sources":[],"impact_groups":["residents with outdoor lighting","landscaping and lighting contractors","local businesses"]}

Meeting_context

{"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":5,"duration_minutes":30,"items_count":1},"implementation_risk":"medium","history":[{"date":"prior meetings in 2025","note":"Draft lighting standards discussed at earlier meetings; committee has iterated text over previous sessions"}]}

Searchable_tags

["outdoor-lighting","lighting-ordinance","dark-sky","grandfathering","contractor-outreach"]

Provenance

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