Westfield Township delays action on planning, zoning

Westfield Township residents will have two more weeks to submit written comments on whether the township should establish its own planning and zoning regulations. At the end of the two weeks township supervisors will review all the information and will decide at a meeting in a month how they want to proceed.
That was the result of a township meeting Tuesday night as residents gathered at the town hall to discuss the issue of local zoning. Earlier in the meeting supervisors approved a temporary ordinance placing a moratorium of up to a year on any new land uses or zoning restrictions.
The meeting was the result of a petition presented to the supervisors at the March 10 annual meeting. A group of township residents has been asking the supervisors to enact a township zoning ordinance that would restrict the growth of feedlots in the township.
Jack Perry, a lawyer representing the township, presented supervisors with a resolution for a temporary ordinance that sets a moratorium on any new land uses or zoning restrictions for a period of up to a year. He said the intent of the moratorium was to allow supervisors an opportunity to study and review the implications and cost of a zoning ordinance.
James Peters, the attorney representing Lowell and Evelyn Trom in a lawsuit they have filed against Dodge County, spoke against the temporary ordinance, saying the proper public notice had not been given.
Following the approval of the moratorium, the floor was opened, first to residents and those with taxable interests, and later to other interested individuals. Officials from Dodge County were also present to answer questions.
Several residents asked specific questions about feedlots and nitrate levels in water and there were also a number of feedlot operators present who spoke.
When the discussion was opened to other than township residents, Sonja Trom Eayres, daughter of Lowell and Evelyn Trom, said it is reasonable to talk about planning and zoning locally. Planning and zoning regulations will help all township residents, even feedlot owners in the long run, she said.