A resident complaint about smoke from backyard fire pits prompted the Village Board on Nov. 24 to consider clarifying its recreational-burning ordinance.

The presiding officer reported receiving a complaint that smoke from a neighbors fire pit was entering nearby homes and raised the possibility that some people might be burning materials not allowed under the current ordinance. "I've gotten a complaint from a resident about, fire pits in the area," the presiding officer said, noting the village ordinance prohibits burning leaves and household or landscape waste but leaves "a lot of gray areas." The presiding officer added: "I don't wanna ruin somebody's freedom to have their fire pit, but ... sometimes you've got neighbors that aren't necessarily burning what they should be burning and taking some advantage."

Board members discussed enforcement options. The presiding officer said the police could handle nuisance complaints when necessary but recommended referring the issue to committee to consider ordinance tweaks and clarify where and what may be burned.

No formal enforcement action or ordinance change was adopted at the meeting; the board proposed committee review and potential future changes.