'I'm Exhausted' - Moratorium Fight Bogs Down Village Board

OSWEGO, IL — Most days, even the kindest people would be hard pressed to call local government functions exciting. But Tuesday night's marathon two hour Village Board meeting - three hours if you count the Committee of the Whole meeting that preceded it - was on a whole other level. Tired confusion and frustration seemed to pour out of nearly everyone in attendance, including several of the village trustees.

Much of the confusion stemmed from a single word - Moratorium.

To elaborate: as part of the village's ongoing effort to revitalize the downtown core area, Oswego Community Development Director Rod Zenner advised the board to approve a 32-month moratorium on all new businesses classified as "M1" or "B3" opening in the downtown core. B3 businesses constitute a wide variety of uses, from large wholesale stores to art studios to veterinarian offices. M1 businesses are those involved in manufacturing, fabrication, and other forms of generally loud, dirty work.

"To further the efforts to encourage economic growth... staff is proposing a moratorium on uses identified in the B3 service district and M1 limited manufacturing district, " Zenner said. "Staff has communicated that these uses, outlined in B3 and M1 uses, are not really in keeping with the recommendations of the comprehensive [downtown] plan."

In other words, they're not the kind of businesses one generally wants next to a downtown area's boutique shops and family diners. The village is in the process of re-zoning much of downtown for residential and small commercial use over the course of the next two years, and the Planning and Zoning Commission wanted to ensure that no new enterprises of the sort tried to take root there in the meantime.

"We believe that 32 months is more than sufficient to cover the downtown zoning designation process," Zenner said.

The problems began when a few current owners of downtown properties came before the board to protest the moratorium proposal - despite, it seems, not being entirely aware of what a moratorium was. They weren't alone. Several village trustees voiced confusion over just what, exactly, a moratorium was and why it was needed. Zenner did his best to explain, and told the concerned property owners that they were not in danger of losing their property - they just couldn't sell their properties to parties with M1 or B3 businesses. This did little to assure them, or other board members, of a moratorium's necessity.

"I think I can find like ten of the committed B3 uses that we already have in the downtown area," trustee James Marter Jr. said. He noted that B3 uses could also include fraternal organizations like the American Legion.

Trustee Judy Sollinger raised her own concerns, saying "I can't support a moratorium... We've always been, in the past, considered business friendly... and I feel we are business friendly. I think this is a step in the wrong direction."

Trustee Pam Parr voiced her frustration with the proposal in more direct terms, expressing confusion regarding the jargon used during the debate.

Eventually, Marter Jr. tried to cut through the miasma by offering a compromise: A 24-month moratorium; 8 months fewer than the original proposal. He put this compromise to the board as a formal motion.

"Alright, that's one decision down; trying to move it along here a little bit," he said.

Unfortunately, his motion only generated further confusion. Some board members weren't sure if the 32-month proposal had been tabled, whether Marter's motion actually counted as separate from the 32-month moratorium proposal, or, if his motion failed, whether the 32-month proposal would be re-introduced. Ultimately, the motion did fail in a hung vote. No new motion to consider the original proposal was put forward before the board quietly moved on to other business.

No one said it out loud before the meeting was adjourned, but Village Clerk Tina Touchette later told Patch that because no motion was put forward after Marter's, the moratorium proposal was considered muerto.

"The item is considered dead," she said.

Touchette said that the way in which the proposal died was confusing even to her, but added that Zenner or a village trustee could always resurrect it at a later meeting.

"It could always come up again," she said.