A DeWitt County resident has gone through the process of seeking a special use permit to operate a kennel in rural DeWitt County.
At last Thursday's DeWitt County Board meeting, the Board approved a special use permit that has garnered a lot of attention on social media, but the Chairman says it cannot be considered for the determination of the application.
Ashley Miller's application for the kennel was approved last Thursday night after recommendations for approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Regional Planning Commission. Board Chair Joe Witte told the Board it was tabled last month to get a copy of the transcripts to Board members.
Witte put a stipulation into the application for the operator to receive appropriate licenses through the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
Miller - who attended the County Board meeting Thursday - told the Board she could not get the approval for the Department of Agriculture. Kristina Deerwester explained the County, City of Clinton, and State of Illinois rules on the issue of breeding.
Miller says she is being targeted by authorities and those in the community opposed to her efforts. She believes the zoning is very unclear for what she is looking to do.
Deerwester called into question part of Miller's claim that she was operating a rescue at her property currently. Witte interjected and reminded the Board they could only consider testimony and evidence presented during the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Regional Planning Commission process.
The Board approved both the condition proposed by Witte and the application.
The issue - since being approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Regional Planning Commission - has been hotly debated on social media. Some are calling into question Miller's history outside of DeWitt County. Witte indicates none of that was presented to the ZBA or RPC, therefore, it could not be considered by the Board last Thursday.
Like it or not, Witte indicates this is the process the County has in place for these applications. And while some claim they did not know meetings were taking place, he admits there needs to be better transparency with the community on that.
