Title
Ordinance amending the Lake County Temporary Emergency Public Nuisance Ordinance.
Staff Summary
* On May 12, the County Board adopted the Lake County Temporary Emergency Ordinance to enact a temporary ban on open burning in the unincorporated area for a period beginning on May 12 (upon County Board approval) and ending on June 10, coinciding with the Spring landscape waste burning season.
* The ordinance recognizes the increased risk of negative health impacts of open burning of landscape waste on individuals who have been infected with COVID-19.
* Open burning during the pandemic also increases the potential risk of uncontrolled spread of fire, which could impact first responders at a time when their resources may be otherwise needed to assist in public health and safety.
* Several fire protection districts encompassing unincorporated territory enacted comparable temporary burning bans earlier in the Spring 2020 to limit the risks of open burning during the pandemic; a number of these district bans remain in effect. This extension of the Lake County Temporary Emergency Ordinance to July 15 is intended to reinforce and support ongoing district bans and provide similar protections where such district bans have expired.
* The County's temporary ordinance permits small recreational fires and the use of self-contained outdoor burn devices under certain criteria. County Board action is anticipated on June 9.
* This extension will go into effect immediately upon County Board adoption of Exhibit A and expire on July 15, 2020.
Body
ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, pursuant to 720 ILCS 5/47-5, counties have authority to declare what shall be public nuisances and to abate the same with respect to the territory within the county and outside the corporate limits of any city, village, or incorporated town; and
WHEREAS, based upon available information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), people of all ages with underlying respiratory medical conditions, including c...
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