Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Equine Industry Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Maple Park resident urges Kane County to consider equine industry in ordinance reviews
Summary
At the Jan. 23 meeting a Maple Park resident argued the equine industry still contributes to the regional economy and urged the committee to review ordinances, including stormwater rules, that he said are "biased against agriculture."
Dave Canton of Maple Park addressed the Kane County Agricultural Committee on Jan. 23 during the public comment period, urging the committee to consider the economic importance of the equine industry as the county reviews local ordinances.
Canton said he spoke previously to the committee about stormwater rules and argued the current drafting is biased against agricultural operations. He told the committee he wanted to underscore the equine industry's economic role within the larger agricultural economy and to urge the committee to review and advance ordinance changes to support equine operations in Kane County.
Canton cited national and state figures in his remarks: he said the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows outdoor recreation contributed about 2.2% of Illinois's gross domestic product in 2023 (a figure he reported as roughly $19 billion) and that a national equine-industry estimate he attributed to the American Horse Council put the industry at about $177 billion in 2023 (up from $122 billion in earlier years, as he reported). He said Kane County is part of Northern Illinois, a region with active equine operations, and that the county could capture more economic benefit through maintenance, development and promotion of the equine market.
Canton also said changes in Illinois law have harmed the horse-racing industry and that several large equine facilities in Northern Illinois are shuttered and vacant; he said some former training facilities are now distressed properties and that closures have contributed to homelessness and lower neighborhood property values in those locations. He told the committee several local equine facilities had recently been listed for sale and that the county should act to preserve agricultural and equine economic history.
Canton concluded by asking the committee to review and advance ordinance amendments that would "promote, save and restore" the agricultural and equine economy and to correct what he described as bias in the stormwater ordinance drafted earlier this season. The committee accepted his remarks during the public comment period; staff did not record immediate committee action on the specific ordinance during the meeting.
