Champaign County Board Environment and Land Use Committee met Oct. 8.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
Committee Members
| Present | Absent |
| Aaron Esry (Chair) | |
| Connie Dillard-Myers | |
| Jodi Eisenmann | |
| Stephanie Fortado | |
| Jim Goss | |
| Kyle Patterson | |
| Eric Thorsland (Vice-Chair) |
Others Present: Giraldo Rosales (County Board Chair)
MINUTES
I. Call to Order
Committee Chair Esry called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m.
II. Roll Call
A verbal roll call was taken, and a quorum was declared present.
III. Approval of Agenda/Addendum
MOTION by Mr. Thorsland to approve the agenda, seconded by Mr. Patterson. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED unanimously.
IV. Approval of Minutes
A. September 10, 2020
MOTION by Ms. Eisenmann to approve the minutes of the September 10, 2020 meeting, seconded by Mr. Goss. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED unanimously.
V. Public Participation
Diane Koch, Prairieview Subdivision, spoke on a problem with honeybees in the neighborhood due to several hives kept by a neighbor. She can’t provide water for the birds without fear of getting stung. There are 50-60 bees at a time in the bird bath and they take over the hummingbird and regular bird feeders. She is also concerned about her neighbors and the possibility of bee stings. Would like the bees to be relocated into a country setting instead of a neighborhood setting.
Barney Bryson, Prairieview Subdivision, talked about the excessive number of bees in their neighborhood due to the number of beehives kept by a neighbor. Also has a concern about the IL State Bee Association pursuing legislation relieving beekeepers of any liability of damage to property or injury to people. It’s House Bill 2223. Health issues with bee stings are a concern. He has also gone to the Urbana City Council and they stated that they would support anything that the county did.
VI. Communications
There were no communications.
VII. New Business: For Information Only
A. Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Selects Champaign County as a Hub Location for an Annual HHW Collection Event.
Ms. Monte stated that that was a great announcement. We are assured of one such collection each year. There will be no need to attempt to hold independent one-day HHW Collections. The next goal would be to provide for an HHW collection option that would be convenient as well as consistent. That would be a permanent HHW collection facility open on a limited part-time weekly basis.
B. A Review of State of Illinois Bees and Apiaries Act and Selected Local Beekeeping Ordinances
Mr. Hall discussed the Illinois Bees and Apiaries Act and the sample ordinances that were distributed with the agenda. He pointed out that none of the samples that were attached provided for special setbacks for sensitive uses i.e. like from a school or from a sensitive resident. He stated that he would like to have a draft ordinance to present the committee at the November meeting. Then the timeline would be public hearings at the Zoning Board hopefully in February. The goal would be to have it back at the committee in April and referred to the County Board in May.
Discussion followed about issues with a water source. Mr. Thorsland said he would want to make sure that is heavily featured in our ordinance. Mr. Goss asked if there is an adequate water source would they travel far away from the hive?
Mr. Bryson had asked IL State Beekeepers Association about the proper amount of water for each beehive and never got an answer. They were not cooperative. They will tell you bees travel 1.5 to 2 miles. The panels they want to put up are 6 feet. His neighbor has a 6-foot fence and he does as well and the bees still get in.
Mr. Patterson said that neither Champaign or Urbana have regulations on beekeeping and asked how common regulations are in the state for bees? Mr. Hall doesn’t think they are very common, he knows there are two counties in the state that have regulations. We do have a lot of beekeepers and have dense urban area and is surprised we have not had issues before. He has never really heard of any complaints like this committee has received 3 out of the past 4 years.
Ms. Koch spoke with the beekeeper about 3 years ago. She showed her what her birdbath looked like with all the bees and she basically educated her on how to keep the bees from drowning but made no comment on the number of bees in her yard and birdbath. Didn’t really show any concern for the birds. She’s not against the bees, just doesn’t want her yard over-run with them.
VIII. New Business: Items to be Recommended to the County Board
A. Resolution Approving the Application for, and if Awarded, Acceptance of a FY 2020 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant from Illinois Emergency Management Agency
MOTION by Mr. Thorsland and seconded by Mr. Goss.
Ms. Monte said that this was a new category of FEMA grants. They’ve reorganized their grant offerings. This was suggested by the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS). We would have to provide a 25% in-kind cost-share and of that 25% Champaign County would pay $5,052 and the rest, $15,158, would come from the Illinois State Water Survey. The ISWS and Champaign County would conduct a needs assessment of cooling and warming facilities and community shelters for tornadoes and other hazards for vulnerable populations. The areas include unincorporated Champaign County, City of Champaign, City of Urbana, Village of Rantoul, Village of Mahomet and the Village of Gifford. We have pre-applied and expect to be invited to apply for the grant. There was no discussion.
Upon roll call vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
IX. Other Business
Monthly reports for January through August were presented by Mr. Hall. He explained that the Enforcement Table has a new format. Trying to resolve complaints before they become violations and that is shown on the report. Mr. Thorsland said the reports were nice to see and the explanation is nice. All the hard work is appreciated. The reports were received and placed on file.
X. Chair’s Report
There was no Chair’s report.
XI. Designation of Items to be Placed on the Consent Agenda
Item VIII. A was placed on the Consent Agenda.
XII. Adjournment
Mr. Esry adjourned the meeting at 7:13 p.m.
http://www.co.champaign.il.us/CountyBoard/ELUC/2020/201008_Meeting/201008_Minutes.pdf
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