Winnebago County reschedules nuisance‑ordinance public hearing to July 28

The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors rescinded an earlier date and set a public hearing on its proposed nuisance ordinance amendment No. 5 for July 28 at 9:30 a.m.

The County Attorney advised that while the nuisance ordinance includes a range of enforcement tools—property cleanup, assessment of fees and a possible simple misdemeanor for noncompliance—some concerns raised by supervisors (including special protections for unincorporated villages and recycling or junkyard regulation) may require amendments to the county zoning code rather than the nuisance ordinance itself. "If you want extra protection [for unincorporated villages], that's what I would need to know," the County Attorney said, noting that zoning would govern setbacks and land‑use definitions.

Supervisors discussed publication timing for legal notice and agreed to delay the hearing from July 21 to July 28 to ensure final formatting and newspaper print deadlines were met. The board asked staff to circulate a Word version of the document for final review before publication. The County Attorney noted the ordinance would allow the board to designate a health officer to enforce provisions and that coordination with the zoning board would be advisable once the nuisance ordinance is passed.

The board voted to set the July 28 hearing; staff were asked to confirm publication schedule and provide the final draft to supervisors.