Board chooses three‑resident composition for offender residency exemption board

The Village Board directed staff on July 21 to proceed with an ordinance creating a three‑member resident board to review requests for exemptions from the village’s *** offender residency rules (the agenda text used the transcript’s term “*** offender residency exemption board”). Staff said due process requires a local review process for exemption requests and many municipalities use a small citizen panel to handle the quasi‑judicial hearings. The village attorney presented two options: (1) three resident citizen members appointed by the village president and confirmed by the board, or (2) three resident members plus two trustees. Trustees expressed preference for the three‑resident model to avoid trustee conflicts and to ensure representation across hamlets; one trustee cited concerns that the current trustee geographic make‑up could bias selections if trustees sat on the board. The board asked that members serve staggered 3‑year terms, limited to two terms. A motion to proceed with the three‑resident model (no trustees on the board) was seconded and approved by voice vote. The attorney will prepare ordinance language reflecting the chosen composition and term limits for future board adoption. Why it matters: establishing a formal exemption board creates an administrative process for residents and clarifies decision‑making for residency exemptions under the village’s existing (censored) residency regulations. Next steps: village attorney to draft the ordinance establishing the three‑resident board with appointment process, term limits (3 years per term, maximum two terms) and a clause encouraging members from different hamlets of the village; the draft ordinance will return to the board for adoption.