Panel recommends code amendments to exempt minor exterior work, update energy code reference

A Lee County panel voted to recommend adoption of petition 26 p c 91, which proposes targeted changes to the county's building and zoning codes. The motion to recommend adoption was made by a committee member and seconded; the committee recorded five "aye" votes and the chair announced the motion carried.

Alice, the staff presenter who was sworn in before speaking, summarized the petition as a cleanup of minor errors and targeted exemptions. "It is just to clean up a few minor errors that we had," she said, and added that the proposal would "exempt from the permit, siding, windows and door replacement and roofing without change to slope or pitch of the roof." She also told the panel that "the state has recently updated the requirements to the 2024 edition of the Illinois Energy Conservation Code," and that the county's language would be changed to reference the International Code Council in place of BOCA.

Committee members asked for clarification about the petition exhibits. Alice explained that Exhibit A contains the ordinance text with redlined language identifying the items to be exempted, while Exhibit B contains the amended energy-code language and the Title 10 Chapter 17 change that removes the BOCA reference and replaces it with the International Code Council. After brief discussion and confirmation that no members of the public wished to speak, a motion to recommend adoption was moved and seconded and approved by voice/roll call.

The recorded roll-call responses in the transcript paired names with "aye" responses: Ben Forster, Owen Smith, Emily Pratt, Chris Jones and a member recorded as "Chuck" (the transcript includes two different spellings in separate places). The motion was announced as carried. The petition will proceed to the next step in the county's ordinance process for final consideration.