Commissioners confront heavy neighborhood opposition to Hummingbird Lane rezoning; roll call and outcome recorded with apparent contradiction

Dixon County commissioners on Jan. 21 heard more than two hours of public comment before taking a roll-call vote on a request to rezone 19.36 acres on North Hummingbird Lane from A-1 (agricultural) to M-1 (heavy industrial) for a proposed cement plant.

The rezoning application, filed for property owned by John Duke, was presented to the commission by a county staff member. The planning commission had recommended approval on Dec. 12, 2024, by a 9–0 vote.

The request drew nearly a dozen residents who described decades-long family ties to the area and said the proposal would bring trucks, dust and noise to a residential-agricultural neighborhood. Tanya Larkins Bowen, who said her family has farmed at 973 Jones Creek Road for 93 years, told commissioners, "This is our home. We don't want to live in an industrial complex." Eddie Cochran, who described his property as a final buffer from nearby industrial sites, said, "If…