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Kincaid opts for in-person survey at post office after water-bill restrictions block mailed questionnaire
Summary
Trustees considered attaching a questionnaire to water bills to survey residents about allowing backyard chickens but staff said state rules limit what can be printed on the statutory water quality notice and many bills go to out-of-town customers; the board agreed to staff a Saturday table at the post office for sampling and to consult election and municipal officials about referenda.
Trustee Nelson proposed asking residents whether they support allowing chickens by enclosing a questionnaire with water bills, citing a Pawnee example that returned roughly a 32% response rate.
Village staff explained that state rules limit material on the statutory water-quality mailing and that some bills go to out-of-town customers, meaning the water-bill method could not reliably reach only Kincaid residents. Staff said printing and mailing a separate questionnaire would be expensive. The committee agreed to an alternative outreach plan: print a questionnaire and staff a box at the post office on a Saturday for residents to drop completed forms, post the survey notice on the village Facebook page and website, and consult the County Clerk and Illinois Municipal League about formal referendum options and costs. Committee member Paso volunteered to staff sessions, and the board said it will post the date on the Village page.
