Morris City council sets work session after debate over East Side Park preservation ordinance

Morris City officials and residents spent the bulk of a regular council meeting debating a citizen-drafted “Preservation of East Side Park” ordinance that would define green space, limit certain materials and create a citizen enforcement mechanism, then agreed to a work session to continue negotiations.

The discussion followed public comments from residents who drafted and supported the measure and from neighbors urging the council to delay any special election. Jim Morrison, who said he drafted the proposed ordinance, described its five sections and told the council a key enforcement feature requires five Morris residents to seek declaratory or injunctive relief but prevents money damages: “What someone can't do under this ordinance is ask for money damages,” Morrison said, arguing the ordinance also includes a grandfather clause and a specific green-space metric that leaves about 3,521 square feet available for non-green uses.

Why it matters: the measure would change how the city manages park improvements by setting a measurable green-space threshold (presented to the council as 95 percent) and a formal enforcement path; opponents worry it could constrain future park projects, including installations needed to make playgrounds accessible for children with…