Farmington eyes lighting ordinance

By JEFF LAMPE
For The Weekly Post

FARMINGTON – The Farmington City Council is gearing up to consider another ordinance that could establish lighting rules for the city.

Council members were provided a preliminary copy of a possible ordinance at Monday’s meeting and were told by Mayor Kenn Stufflebeam to come early for the June 20 meeting with questions.

The council did not approve two previous lighting ordinances when they were presented in 2019 and 2020 by City Manager Rollen Wright.

Wright said there are difficulties with such an ordinance because very few exist in Illinois outside of Chicago and its suburbs, and because there are “a lot” of gray areas on interpreting light readings.

The City has purchased a light meter to help gather data as it approaches the possible ordinance, which as written would make lights that exceed 1 foot-candle at the property line between 10 p.m. and dawn as a public nuisance.

“I really want us to do our due diligence on this,” Stufflebeam said. “We’ve got our own problem with a parking lot neighbor, so we’re working on that. Let’s come back with some good questions.”

“We have to come up with a standard that is acceptable,” Wright said.

In other business, the council approved a recreation program that will be run by the Canton YMCA at Jacobs Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon starting June 21. The program will last until July 28 and includes four field trips.

The council also gave tentative approval to sell some city-owned equipment that is no longer being used, or is out of date. That will include a Ford F-150 pickup, a Chevrolet 3/4-ton truck, two squad cars (an Impala and a Crown Victoria) and various other items.

“If there’s something we’re not going to use, we need to get rid of it,” Alderman Joey Boggs said.

During his report, Police Chief Chris Darsham told the council that his department had written numerous letters telling residents about tall grass and weeds on their properties. “Most people have cut the grass,” he said.

The council also approved $27,632.12 in TIF payments for 16 residental redevelopment projects, for which the residents are paying $84,453. Projects range from tree trimming to new roofs to an enclosed porch and a new front porch.

Last month the TIF paid out $40,000 to Farmington Forward for its redevelopment work on a downtown building.

Finally, the council voted unanimously to reappoint the following to local boards and commissions. Police Commissioner: Terry Dicks; Oak Ridge Cemetery: Tim Ulm; Planning Commission: Mike Cecil and Eric Colvin; Zoning Board of Appeals: Liz Johnson and Grant Pasley; Historical Commission: Dave Giagnoni, Carol Roberts, Norma Seaman, Herb Stufflebeam and Doug Wright; CEDC Commission: Kenn Stufflebeam, Keith Balagna, Zac Chatterton, Sherill Balagna, Judy Connor, Greg Culver, David Rose, Sarah Keefer and Scott Thomas.