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Council advances ordinance changing municipal ‘family’ definition after debate on group homes
Summary
The council advanced Ordinance 19.2 (amending zoning and land development rules about small institutional group homes and the definition of “family”) to second reading after members debated whether the city should define ‘family’ or use ‘household’; the motion passed 5–1.
The Moline City Council voted to advance Ordinance 19.2, which amends Chapter 35 of the municipal code (zoning and land development) including changes to how small institutional group homes and the definition of “family” are treated.
The ordinance prompted extended discussion. Alderperson Castro said the city should not define what a family is and preferred creating a definition of “household” instead of changing the word "family." "I really am not comfortable changing the definition of family. I don't think that it's the city's place to define the word family," Castro said.
Alderperson Schmidt agreed that the city should avoid imposing a definition on family but said that the existing code’s language and many cross-references make a simple substitution difficult. "I could not agree more that we should not be defining a family," Schmidt said, adding that removing or changing the term would have downstream consequences for zoning and building codes.
Council members and legal staff explained that the word "family" appears in many places across zoning and building codes; substituting "household" or removing the definition entirely would require extensive edits to maintain consistency with fire and building regulations. One member said the present change is needed now to address an application from a group home seeking to open.
After debate, the council voted to advance the ordinance to second reading; the motion carried on a roll call vote, five ayes and one nay.
Next steps: the ordinance will return for a second reading where the council can consider amendments or final adoption. The meeting record does not include final ordinance text adoption; members signaled the topic will receive further review during comprehensive planning work later in the year.
