Community committee asks solicitor to draft ordinance for Little Free Pantries ahead of grant deadline

The Golf Manor Village Community Engagement Committee recommended that Solicitor Rob Butler draft legislation to authorize Little Free Pantries on village property so the village can apply for a grant with a June deadline.

Committee members said the pantry proposal differs from existing rules for Little Free Libraries because the pantries would be located on government property and may require different upkeep and oversight. "We met with solicitor Rob Butler to prepare legislation for the upcoming council meeting despite our committee having yet to vote to recommend that he writes the legislation," Committee Member Gwen said. The committee offered its approval by unanimous voice to proceed with the draft.

The committee discussed routing the proposed legislation through the planning commission because the new pantry rules would be more substantial than a simple modification of the existing library ordinance. Committee members said the draft should be treated as a new ordinance rather than a minor revision because of the differences in location and maintenance responsibilities.

No ordinance text or grant amount was provided at the meeting. Committee members said the grant application deadline is in June and that drafting the legislation promptly was intended to meet that timetable. The committee did not vote on the ordinance language itself; members approved only a recommendation that the solicitor begin drafting the legislation.

The committee also discussed outreach and next steps, including further review by planning staff and a future council agenda item once the solicitor completes the draft. There were no formal roll-call votes recorded on the ordinance at this meeting.

Committee Chair Miss Hill and Solicitor Rob Butler are expected to appear at subsequent meetings and at planning commission review to present the draft and answer questions.