MUNDELEIN, Ill. — The Mundelein Village Board voted to draft an ordinance denying a proposed amendment to the zoning code that would have raised the maximum number of children allowed in a home daycare from six outside-household children to 16.

Trustee Ward moved to authorize drafting the ordinance to deny the amendment; Trustee Kritzke seconded the motion, and the roll call produced unanimous support. Clerk roll-call confirmations recorded votes of “yes” from Trustees Juarez, Christie, Lambert, Schwank, Augustine and Rico; the motion carried.

The board’s discussion framed the vote as a decision rooted in public-safety and regulatory consistency. Trustees and staff referenced existing child-care regulations and public-safety concerns if large numbers of children are operating from private residences. Trustee Juarez asked whether the issue could be revisited or handled through a committee, saying some residents’ livelihoods could be affected and urging a search for a “middle ground.” Planning staff and trustees said staff will continue to collect and draft changes as part of a broader set of zoning text amendments to be reviewed together.

Trustees noted that the suggested 16-child limit would be substantially higher than state child-care limits referenced during the discussion. Trustee Ward and planning staff also raised an operational concern: without registration requirements, emergency responders would not have reliable notice of how many children might be at a private address during a 9-1-1 response.

Planning staff told the board they have begun a broader text-amendment review and expect to group many amendments for consolidated drafting and public hearings; staff said some items could be prepared over the coming months and possibly grouped into a single package to be considered next year.

By voting to deny the immediate amendment, the village preserved the existing ordinance language while directing staff to continue reviewing zoning and registration issues related to home daycares.

Looking ahead, trustees asked staff to collect specific items the board wants examined and to return potential ordinance changes as part of the wider text-amendment process.