Elburn Board votes 'no' on lease agreement for lot in Elburn Station subdivision

ELBURN – The Elburn Village Board unanimously voted down a lease agreement between the village and Shodeen Group for Lot 150 in Elburn Station at its meeting on May 18.

The agreement was to "ensure the property is properly used and the sub-leasee has sufficient insurance," per the memo from Village Administrator John Nevenhoven to the Village Board.

The lot is the planned location for the Elburn Station Community Park area.

The total 21.58-acre property between Keslinger and Anderson Roads had been farmed in previous years.

"The thought was: Now that the property has been transferred over to the Village of Elburn to continue to farm the north half of that lot...it basically keeps the land productive," Village Administrator John Nevenhoven began.

"It doesn't have to be mowed, we don't have to go after weeds...the farmer, who would be a sub-leasee to Shodeen, would be the one that is responsible for the maintenance on the north half," Nevenhoven continued.

The board, however, balked at the agreement when questioning why if the village owns the lot, it would not get lease money for the land usage – that instead would go to Shodeen – from an outside contracted farmer for the land.

"We don't get anything for [the lease]," Nevenhoven explained during the discussion. "Just, basically, we get insurance coverage."

The land is apparently currently seeded.

"We could say to Shodeen:'You want us to do this, but...' it's kind of backwards," Trustee Sue Filek said. "Shodeen should be paying us, what he's getting from the farmer...it seems pretty cut-and-dry."

The board also unanimously approved reductions to both "Class A" and "Class F" liquor license fees for this year to $500 each down from the normal $1,000 per year.

"Class-A" refers to bars within the village, and "Class F" is for Hughes Creek Golf Club.

During its subsequent Committee of the Whole meeting, the committee discussed a myriad of recommended updates to the Personnel Policy Manual in topics spanning from drug and alcohol abuse to sick leave.

The full pages of updates can be viewed here.

The committee also is exploring options for improved Internet services at Village Hall, which currently uses the wireless Internet service from Futurelink.

Metronet, which would be one of the more cost-effective options for approximately $500 per month based on the speed and wide area network needed, will not have service available until August of this year. The committee will recommend the service at the next board meeting.

The committee also discussed animal kennels and how to further clarify their status within the village.

The zoning ordinance defines a kennel as a combination of three dogs or cats. Kennels, which are prohibited in residential areas within the village, must obtain a $25 license; but the act of fostering dogs or cats – or the use of therapy and service animals – isn't noted.

The committee agreed to explore how neighboring villages handle the the discrepancy and have their ordinances worded.