Kane County approves new nuisance laws

Despite some criticism that it amounts to a tax on people trying to improve their homes and neighborhoods, Kane County Board members Tuesday approved new laws targeting a couple sources of neighborhood eyesores.

Current county code has loopholes that have allowed home building and renovation projects to remain incomplete for months or years. In some cases, that’s resulted in half-finished homes transforming into animal dens or teenage party magnets. The new law gives builders and renovators a one-year timeline from the start of construction to complete at least the exterior work on their projects or face fines.

But not everyone saw the value in imposing fines on people who likely stopped work on their project because of a lack of money to proceed.

“Adding additional expenses to the costs of home rehabilitation and renovation makes it more likely that the homeowner will go into foreclosure,” said Jennifer Laesch.

Laesch is the Democratic nominee for the county board’s District 3 seat. She said county officials would have a hard time meeting the standards of its own code.

“Why is it important for me to pay this new tax while the county takes more than seven years to make a decision about what to do with the old jail?” Laesch said. “I think it’s generally agreed that the jail poses a much greater danger to the public than a stalled home rehab.”

Some sitting board members echoed Laesch’s concerns about the fines creating a chilling effect on home improvement projects. Board member Bonnie Kunkel said the intent of the changes is good, but some aspects of the law go too far. She pointed out that even the owner of an unlocked shed could be fined because it meets the new definition of a “dangerous structure” in county code.

Despite the concerns, no board member voted against the code changes. Board members Donnell Collins and Jackie Tredup were absent from the vote.

The new code also requires every vehicle stored outside to have up-to-date vehicle registration. The idea is to eliminate the hoarding of so-called junk vehicles.