Residents raise complaints about manure transfer operation; village says agricultural exemption limits local regulation

Residents at the Wellington Village Council meeting April 22 urged the village to address noise, dust and truck traffic associated with a manure transport/transfer operation near Fiftieth Street. Several speakers said heavy trucks and machinery run early into the morning and create disturbance and potential environmental concerns.

Marcos Batista, who identified himself as manager of Santa Cecilia Stables, said the operation runs long hours and questioned whether the use is allowed at that location. He asked the council, plainly, whether that business was permitted in the area.

Village staff and legal counsel explained that operations on parcels with an agricultural exemption are generally exempt from local zoning and building requirements when they are bona fide agricultural activities. Staff said the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has permitted the operation and that the village’s authority to regulate is therefore limited to certain matters such as water‑management best management practices and flood‑plain requirements. Staff also reported there is at least one lawsuit pending that challenges aspects of operations and permits; staff said the village is not a party to the unrelated lawsuit mentioned by speakers, though it is engaged in a separate permit‑related case.

The council did not take formal action on the matter during the meeting; staff suggested that enforcement options are restricted where state agricultural exemptions and DEP permits apply. Residents were advised to pursue any ongoing concerns about nuisance or environmental impacts through state permitting channels and private legal remedies where applicable.