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 Public Nuisance Ordinance to enact a temporary ban on open burning in the unincorporated area for a period extended from May 12 to June 10, coinciding with the spring landscape waste burning season. This ban was further extended by the County Board on June 9, and again on July 14, and is currently set to expire on August 12.
• The ordinance recognizes the increased risk of negative health impacts from open burning on individuals who have been infected with COVID-19.
• At the July 29 PWPT meeting, the Committee directed staff to prepare an amendment to the Temporary Emergency Ordinance to extend the ban subject to an exception allowing open burning on unincorporated residential properties at specified times and on limited days.
• Staff’s proposed amendment will allow open burning of specified landscape waste and woody materials only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from sunrise to sunset, and will continue to allow small recreational fires and the use of self-contained outdoor burn devices under certain criteria.
• County Board action is anticipated on August 11.
• This amended temporary ordinance will go into effect immediately upon County Board adoption of Exhibit A and expire on October 14, 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 chronic lung disease and asthma, are at higher risk for developing more serious complications if they contract COVID-19. Smoke from open burning can exacerbate these residents’ respiratory conditions and further compromise their ability to fend off potentially severe effects of COVID-19. Additionally, people who do not have underlying conditions can experience more severe COVID-19 symptoms when exposed to smoke from open burning; and
WHEREAS, the Lake County Temporary Emergency Public Nuisance Ordinance mitigates these public health risks.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by this County Board of Lake County, Illinois, that the Lake County Temporary Emergency Public Nuisance Ordinance as attached in Exhibit A be amended to expire on October 14, 2020; and
BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that the Clerk of the County Board shall keep a record of this action.
DATED AT WAUKEGAN, LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS, this 11th day of August, 2020.