Carpentersville to get business development committee

Carpentersville will soon add another advisory body to its roster of government panels with the formation of a business development committee.

But a proposed ordinance committee touted by some trustees before the April election has been scrapped.

The new committee, endorsed by trustees during a special village board meeting Saturday, will be charged with retaining and attracting businesses to the village.

"We want to create a more business-friendly environment," said Janice Murphy, the village's economic development and special projects coordinator. "It will be helpful to have another set of feet pounding the sidewalk to talk to business owners about issues and things the village can do to help."

Though economic development involves business retention, expansion and attraction, Murphy said her role has focused most prominently on attraction.

"The committee will function as a resource and an opportunity to discuss some priorities strictly dealing with businesses in the community," she said. "I would like to get the board more involved in the retention program."

Murphy said the panel will include five to seven members from the business community, as well as village board members. Trustees Kay Teeter and Keith Hinz have already submitted their interest.

"We need a committee for a sound board," Hinz said. "That's critical for Carpentersville."

Officials decided, however, that an ordinance committee is not critical to the village at this time.

Trustees discussed creating a committee that would hash out potential ordinance changes, but ultimately nixed the idea. An earlier ordinance committee was disbanded in 2004.

"This is another layer of government, and we don't need another layer of government," Trustee Judy Sigwalt said.

Although Village President Ed Ritter was a proponent of the committee's creation, he said a few recent examples like the noise and heavy vehicle ordinances suggest an ordinance committee would do little to expedite change.

"The noise ordinance was something we wanted done quickly and we didn't get quickly," Ritter said, referring to the ordinance that took almost a year to finalize. "If it isn't going to speed up the process, I don't see the purpose."