Is anyone wondering about the status of the residency of Jenny and Bean, the two ducks that inhabit a house in Savanna Grove? Back on October 2 the Woodstock City Council voted to approve a special-use ordinance to allow them in the City IF, and only IF, the Savanna Grove Homeowners Association stepped up to the plate and allowed it. To do so, the majority of 100+ homeowners would have to approve an amendment to the Covenants of the Association AND the Covenants would have be amended through a filing with the State of Illinois.
Has this happened? If you remember, the City Council was silent when Mayor Sager announced that the City would take no enforcement action against the ducks. This, right after passing an ordinance that stated clearly that the ducks would only be allowed in the City AFTER the Homeowners Association approved their presence.
How is it that the City Council can pass a new law and then Mayor could immediately say the City would not enforce it? Not one Councilman objected!
Now more than 90 days have passed. Did the property owners vote? Did a majority of the 100+ property owners approve amending the Covenants?
What will happen if the homeowners do not (or did not) approve the amendment? Getting 50+ property owners to approve anything is a huge challenge. I know, from personal experience. I was treasurer of a homeowners association in Colorado 35 years ago, and the board there would never have gotten a majority of the property owners to approve anything!
Shall we hope that the property owners bail out the City Council, not to mention Jenny and Bean, by approving the amendment? What will the City Council do, if the property owners do not approve an amendment?
If you live in Savanna Grove, how about letting us know what's going on? Thanks!
You never know who is interested…
3 months ago
9 comments:
has the inspector recieved any complaints about ducks after this fiasco? Did he/she have to enforce any complaints that came after this one?
The City's position is that it will not take any enforcement action against the ongoing daily violations. The hands of the Code Enforcement Officer and Community Development are tied because the employees were told, in effect, to disregard the new law immediately after it was passed.
At the December 4th City Council meeting there was a discussion about updating the sign ordinances. The Minutes of that meeting do not include the mayor's statements that employees need to have the freedom to enforce the ordinances on the books.
Those remarks caused me to think immediately of the handcuffs put on the City employees in the duck ordinance enforcement.
To answer your question, I don't know of any complaints about the ducks. It is my understanding and belief that any complaints about the ducks would not have been acted upon by the Code Enforcement Officer, per the mayor's orders.
Gus, GO BACK TO COLORADO!!!!!!!!
nice indiana jones hat you wear while driving your red bug
"Cover your heart Gusy, cover your heart".
I've finally figured out why Gus is so incensed by the ducks. He would like to be the only "quack" in town.
Nah, you misunderstand. I'm not mad at the ducks. Heck, neither one would fit in my oven. Did you see the size of those ducks?
No, my issue is with the City and its passing a new law and then immediately putting its hands over its eyes and, in effect, ordering the city employees not to do their jobs. In other words, employees of the city were told to ignore the new law. And that's not right.
It was wrong of the City Council to declare that the new law would not be enforced. Who else gets that kind of break? No one! And no one should. There was a way to structure the ordinance - just permit those ducks at that address.
Let me be the first (but not the last0 to say "Duck you Gus".
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