Northfield adopts emergency ordinance on yard waste; council confirms new patrol officer

The Village of Northfield Council adopted an emergency ordinance restricting the depositing of grass clippings, leaves and other yard waste into roadways, sewers and neighboring properties, and confirmed the mayor’s appointment of a new full-time patrol officer.

Brad Bryan read Ordinance No. 2024-37 by title and council voted to suspend the three-reading rule; the suspension motion passed by roll call. A subsequent motion to adopt the emergency ordinance was approved by roll call and the ordinance was adopted as recorded in the minutes.

Bryan then read Resolution No. 2025-01 confirming Mayor Domzalski’s appointment of Alec Barker as a full-time patrol officer. Council voted to suspend the three-reading rule for the resolution and then voted to adopt it. The minutes note Barker was not present at the meeting and would be sworn in the next day if the resolution was approved.

Votes at a glance: The minutes record roll-call votes for suspension and adoption motions for both items. The transcript records individual yes votes for the listed members on both measures; where an individual line ends abruptly in the minutes (for example, a line that reads only a councilor’s name), the minutes indicate the motion carried as recorded but do not consistently provide every councilor’s explicit “yes” token.

What it means: The yard-waste ordinance clarifies that yard debris must be kept out of roadways and sewers and prohibits depositing clippings or leaves on neighboring property, which the council adopted as an emergency measure. The patrol officer confirmation fills a personnel opening; the new officer is scheduled to be sworn in the day after the meeting, according to the minutes.

Next steps: The ordinance takes effect per the emergency-adoption procedures recorded in the minutes; Alec Barker’s swearing-in is expected the following day if administrative steps proceed.