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Residents ask board to soften enforcement of new open‑burn rules; village reports 19 permit actions to date
Summary
A public commenter said long‑time property owners worry the new open‑burn ordinance leaves no practical place to burn; village staff said 19 permits have been processed (16 approved, 2 denied, 1 withdrawn) and the denials were for lack of a legal burning location on the property.
A resident told the Riverwoods Board of Trustees that several long‑time property owners worry a recently adopted open‑burn ordinance will ban any on‑site burning and urged the board to revisit enforcement so officials respond only to complaints.
The commenter said there were six residents concerned about the ordinance’s setbacks and enforcement and asked the board to consider complaint‑driven enforcement rather than proactive enforcement. "These are folks who have been burning on their properties for many years without any issues," the commenter said, and added that they planned to seek guidance or a petition.
Village staff responded that the setback parameters described in the ordinance have long existed but were not always enforced. The building/stormwater report later in the meeting provided permit data: staff said 19 open‑burn permit applications have been processed to date — 16 approved, 2 denied and 1 withdrawn. The two denials were explained as cases where the property did not have a legal spot to burn under the ordinance’s setback and size rules.
Director Witt said the village had experienced a recent surge in permit applications (about six to eight per week) and staff were current with processing. Trustees did not change the ordinance at the meeting but heard the public concern and staff statistics; trustees discussed enforcement practices and acknowledged the ordinance’s existing physical‑setback restrictions.
The board did not direct a policy change on enforcement at the meeting; trustees instead asked staff to continue processing permits and to pass any enforcement‑policy suggestions through the appropriate committee.
