Gurnee board adopts policy to regulate state and federal use of village property after heated public comment

The Gurnee Village Board on March 2 approved Resolution 2026-02, establishing a permitting policy that requires state and federal agencies to obtain written authorization before using village-owned property. The measure passed after public commenters recounted incidents on local streets and near schools and urged the board to prohibit immigration enforcement operations on village land.

The policy was presented to the board by Village Attorney Brian Winters, who said the measure is intended to avoid federal preemption while allowing the village to enforce rules on its own property. "Did you apply for a permit and receive it or not? If you did not receive it, you're in violation of the policy," Winters told trustees, describing a cease-and-desist and civil-enforcement pathway staff could use to remove unauthorized uses.

The debate was framed by multiple public comments urging a stronger, clearer prohibition. "I saw armed federal agents chase after them into the building," said Ted Brooks, a bus driver recounting a high-speed incident near a school; he urged the board to restrict federal immigration operations unless coordinated with local police. Katie Sier, another resident, asked the board to "replace the discretionary permission structure with a clear prohibition" and to anchor any policy in the Illinois Trust Act.

Supporters of the ordinance-style protections said the village has limited property that is easily monitored and that a permit-based, enforceable policy could be effective. Trustee Woodside emphasized that local public-safety depends on community trust and said the village should ensure residents know they will not be targeted by local police because of immigration status. Other trustees and speakers called for additional steps — visible signage, posting granted permissions publicly, clear reporting protocols, coordination with school districts, and staff training on judicial-warrant recognition.

Trustees questioned routine exceptions, including prearranged uses (for example, early-voting sites) and emergency responses (FEMA or Army Corps deployments). Attorney Winters said the draft explicitly excluded routine public-ways (streets and sidewalks) and included exceptions for pre-authorized uses while preserving an enforcement pathway for unauthorized activities on village property.

On a roll-call vote, the board recorded the following: Ross — yes; Garner — yes; O'Brien — yes; Balmus — yes; Thorenson — yes; Woodside — no. The resolution carried.

Mayor Hood and several trustees signaled the vote would not end the work: board members and residents were urged to continue submitting amendments and documentation about stronger language used by other municipalities. Attorney Winters noted the village's limited inventory of properties and said a narrowly tailored, enforceable rule gives the village a clearer path to act if an unauthorized agency uses village land. The board moved on to routine contract awards and a continuation of the FY2026–27 budget workshop at the same meeting.

What happens next: staff and the village attorney may prepare clarifications and implementation procedures (signage, reporting protocols, and training) and trustees signaled openness to returning to the issue with potential amendments or additional resolutions that reference the Illinois Trust Act.