Barrington Hills readies for final round of lighting debate

Barrington Hills village board members plan to begin their own consideration of a controversial outdoor lighting ordinance at their Oct. 25 regular meeting.

Before then, the village plans to further reach out to residents by mail and on its website with the full text of the proposed ordinance the zoning board of appeals finally signed off on in August after 10 months of discussion.

Village President Robert Abboud said both the location and number of meetings that will be needed to fully address this heated issue have yet to be determined, though Countryside School at 205 W. County Line Road is the most likely place to accommodate what may be a large crowd.

Abboud believes perhaps two or three meetings will be needed to provide adequate time for both public input and the board's own deliberations. The follow-up meetings, if required, would be the regular meetings of Nov. 22 and Dec. 20.

Abboud said special meetings may be called for whatever other business the board may need to address during these months. He added that he doesn't want to schedule special meetings on the lights issue because they might be on dates inconvenient to interested members of the public.

And the public has certainly shown its interest in the proposed outdoor lighting ordinance over the past year.

The protest group, Homeowners Against Lighting Ordinances - or HALO - has been a constant presence at every zoning board meeting, though sometimes with only a couple of representatives.

A smaller number of residents have also spoken up in support of the ordinance, saying that guarding against nighttime lighting glare is a way of protecting Barrington Hills' countryside atmosphere.

Abboud said he plans for the discussion to hit on at least four major topics - the private property rights of both light owners and their neighbors, long-term zoning implications, health and safety issues and the security factor frequently touched upon by critics of the ordinance.

The hearings will not conclude until every member of the public who wishes to speak has had an opportunity, Abboud said. However, residents will likely be limited to two minutes each and board members will have a chance to respond to comments or questions between each speaker.

"We're doing our best to have this be as transparent an issue as possible," Abboud said.

After public comment is closed, a further meeting may be needed just for the board's own discussion.

"I want to give the board sufficient time to adjudicate the matter," Abboud said. "They need some time to discuss the matter among themselves."

Further information should soon be available at the village website - barringtonhills-il.gov.