Glen Ellyn group wants referendum on lights

Glen Ellyn residents opposing lights at a Glenbard West High School field say they’re circulating petitions to get a referendum on the ballot to poll the entire community.

Members of Our Field, Our Town want to ask voters in a nonbinding referendum question if lights should be installed at Memorial Field. The effort comes weeks before the village plan commission is set to consider a zoning variance application for the lights from Glenbard High School District 87.

Under state law, petitioners would need 622 signatures to get the question on the March 20 primary ballot, according to Doreen Nelson, assistant executive director of the DuPage County Election Commission.

That number represents 8 percent of the total number of people who voted in the previous gubernatorial election in Glen Ellyn, she said.

Organizers of the petition drive say they’ve already gathered a third of the signatures they need since they started in late July.

They maintain installing lights will increase traffic and reduce safety in the area. Glenbard officials say the lights will allow greater use of the field.

The school board voted to send the variance application request to the village in April.

The deadline to file the petitions is Dec. 19. The referendum would be placed on all Glen Ellyn ballots — for individual political parties, and a nonpartisan ballot for those who don’t want to declare a party affiliation, Nelson said.

But whether a potential referendum would have any sway with those who ultimately approve zoning variations is unclear.

Plan commission members will consider the request at their Aug. 25 meeting. Presentations are expected from both sides of the issue, as well as public comments. Village President Mark Pfefferman said he expects the matter to be discussed at more than one meeting.

If the commission approves the district’s variance request, the village board would have final consideration.

At Monday’s village board meeting, Village Attorney Stewart Diamond said an advisory referendum could be sought, but the village has to go forward with a hearing process since it’s been requested by the school district.

“Even if there were a referendum in which the majority of people voting said they were opposed to a particular zoning change, the property owner still has the ability to go forward and ask for that kind of change,” Diamond said.

Members of Our Field, Our Town asked village leaders to defer final action on the lights until a vote is taken on the possible referendum.

Jim Ozog, an attorney representing the group, said there’s no village ordinance that requires immediate action by the village board upon approval of the plan commission.

Pfefferman told him board members try to hear matters as soon as they can, while being careful and deliberative.