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Board approves Historic Preservation Commission ordinance with compromise on nonresident appointee
Summary
After weeks of negotiation, trustees approved an ordinance establishing a Historic Preservation Commission; the Historical Society may appoint one person, and the board adopted compromise language making that appointee non‑voting if the appointee is a nonresident, or voting if a resident.
The Village Board approved an ordinance establishing a Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) that will have eight members appointed by the village president (subject to board confirmation) and one member appointed by the Greendale Historical Society. The meeting featured a lengthy debate about whether the Historical Society’s appointee could be a nonresident and, if so, whether that appointee should hold voting authority.
Trustees noted precedent and the practical value of including experienced preservation expertise. Historical Society representatives argued the society should be allowed to nominate a single well‑qualified person even if that person does not currently live in Greendale. Multiple trustees raised concerns about creating a broad nonresident voting precedent across village commissions.
The board adopted a compromise: the Historical Society’s appointee may be a resident or a nonresident, but only a resident appointee will have full voting rights; a nonresident appointee would serve as a non‑voting member. The ordinance was approved subject to final attorney review to ensure code language mirrors that compromise.
Trustees said the change would allow the HPC to begin work with historical‑society expertise while preserving the village’s general preference for resident voting members on land‑use and preservation bodies.
