Worried that a proposed statewide initiative could take power away from municipalities, the Plainfield Village Board has passed a resolution urging state leaders to not take zoning authority away from municipalities.

“The village recognizes that municipal authority of land use and zoning is a means to address separating incompatible land uses, protecting property values, managing traffic flow, ensuring adequate infrastructure and guiding orderly community growth,” the resolution reads in part. “Land use and zoning decisions are appropriately made at the local level by municipal officials familiar with the unique characteristics of the village.”

Village trustees unanimously approved the resolution at their April 20 meeting. In a push for more affordable housing, Gov. JB Pritzker has proposed eliminating zoning restrictions that otherwise limit multi-family housing, especially in subdivisions designed for single-family homes.

The Illinois Municipal League put together a model resolution for the Plainfield Village Board to approve.

As Plainfield Village Administrator Joshua Blakemore said, the resolution supports preserving local authority in general and isn’t necessarily directly aimed at Pritzker’s Building Up Illinois Developments (BUILD) proposal.

“It’s important to keep pounding the pavement on this one,” Blakemore said. “This is important and this is another step for us to take in objecting to this type of proposal.”

Plainfield Mayor John Argoudelis said he strongly supports the resolution. He said the village spent $147,000 to hire a top-notch company to help the village put together a comprehensive plan to determine what the village should look like in the future.

“We sought out community members to tell us what they want,” Argoudelis said. “What concerns me about this proposal in Springfield is that somebody who hasn’t put in any of that effort is going to draw a circle on a map and say, ‘Put this here.’ ‘’

Village trustee Brian Wojowski thought it was ironic that Pritzker was proposing the measure since he has criticized the federal government for overreach.

“So this should be called the ‘No Kings’ resolution,” Wojowski said.

Village trustee Siv Panicker said he thought Pritzker’s proposal is “politically motivated.”

“And it undermines the authority of local governing bodies regarding zoning ordinances,” Panicker said.

A day after Plainfield village trustees approved the resolution, Argoudelis wrote in a social media post that the governor’s office reached out to him and “assured me that the proposal will not override local control and that this will be a collaborative effort.”