Sheep, stabling, snowfall and village variance issues occupied the village of Winthrop Harbor Board of Trustees' meeting 7:00 p.m. Dec. 15, 2015, in the Village Hall Council Chambers at 830 Sheridan Road.
Mayor Robert Loy; Clerk Jana Lee; and Trustees Kimberly Braden, Buddy Hargett, Robert Marabella, Richard Robards, and Hartmut “Fritz” Weiss were present. Also in attendance were Attorney Robert Long, Finance Director Lisa Shaw, Superintendent of Public Works Tim Neargarder, Chief of Police Joel Brumlik and Community Development Director Pat DiPersio.
All motions presented at this meeting passed unanimously with one absence.
Shaw led an invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, and then the Dec. 1 meeting minutes were approved. No old business or clerk’s correspondence was reported. There were no public comments.
The mayor’s report concerned a resolution appointing Edward Mohn as a part-time officer, which passed. A request from the VFW for a one-year raffle license was also approved.
In new business, the board approved an ordinance limiting the number of farm animals that may be kept on private property. Discussion yielded an agreement that households could keep 12 sheep or goats plus two per acre for every acre over 10 acres.
The board also approved an ordinance granting a variance for stabling horses on a small lot along with two additional variances and a special use permit for a vacant corner lot to be utilized for employee and customer parking.
The village of Winthrop Harbor won approval for an amendment regarding permitted obstructions in yards; Attorney Long was charged with preparing an associated document.
The text of the village’s Municipal Code of Ordinances was approved for amendments, creating slight changes in language pertaining to recreational zoning rules, in addition to a draft update to be prepared by Attorney Long.
The trustees approved an Accounts Payable Warrant in the amount of $79,773.04, a lease agreement naming Tax Exempt Leasing as the financing company for the Police Department copier, the Treasurer’s Report for November 2015, a line of credit with NorStates Bank in the amount of $300,000 and final payment to a paving company for services rendered.
In unfinished business, Robards thanked the Fire Department for their monthly report, and Marabella praised the Public Works department for their good work during the recent heavy snow. Braden thanked all departments for their reports, and holiday greetings were exchanged.
The board went into closed session at 7:25 p.m. and back into open session, adjourning at 7:42 p.m.
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