The Town of Normal is extending its moratorium on short-term rental properties by one month.
The move was made during Monday’s town council meeting, the first for newly sworn-in council member Rory Roberge.
The moratorium, applying to properties such as Airbnb or VRBO offerings, was to give Normal time to consider and evaluate regulatory alternatives. The council approved a change for it to last until July 1, rather than June 1. That gives extra time for Normal to better assess the situation should any land-use bills become law by the end of the Illinois spring legislative session on May 31.
“We want to make sure we understand that legislation, see if it gets passed, and see if it impacts anything pertaining to short-term rentals, before we ask council to take formal action on a short-term rental ordinance,” said city manager Pam Reece.
The town implemented the moratorium amid complaints about noise and other nuisances from some of the properties.
Homeless encampment cleanup
Council member Kathleen Lorenz said Home Sweet Home Ministries and the Ecology Action Center will partner for a cleanup day at the homeless encampment along Main Street in south Normal.
“This is an opportunity to volunteer in a very important way, because we do want to leave the place as good as or better than when they found it,” said Lorenz.
Lorenz also said the encampment will be disbanded by June 1. Though she did not expand from there, she said a construction project is planned for that location.
“That should raise the question in many of your minds, where are they going? We don't know. That's a topic for another day,” said Lorenz. “I just want to stay focused on the fact that there is a wonderful, environmentally important and socially important opportunity to volunteer on May 10.”
Illinois Art Station change
Some public commenters spoke to council members about concerns over the hiring process that resulted in the Illinois Art Station’s [IAS] previous executive director, education coordinator and part-time educator not being retained when the town recently assumed operation of the center. The town has additionally received pushback on social media, with commenters accusing the town of intentionally passing over qualified staff who were already doing those jobs.
Beth Whisman, Normal's director of cultural arts, said the town received 136 applications during the hiring process.
“Anytime they do a recruitment, it is a truly open and transparent process. After the council approved March 3, I think it was the very next day they published the job openings with job descriptions, which are, if you read them, not the same exactly as what the original one was. And that was partly because we knew things would operate a little differently," Whisman said.
The difference, said Whisman, is primarily related to the eventual dissolving of the independent nonprofit at the end of IAS’ fiscal year. Of the 136 applicants, 16 were interviewed. Any part-time employees and interns hired by IAS also had to be approved by the town as part of an official handing-over of the organization in mid-March, Whisman said.
“Essentially, the town felt like we had a better fit, a fit that we felt was right within the 100-plus candidates that came in,” said Whisman. “So it wasn't a position where we had to take who was already available. It wasn't a position where anyone that was already available wasn't qualified. It was really more a question of — of the candidates of that wide net that we threw, much wider, obviously, than what was already in place — who was the best fit?”
Nicole Learned, a K-5 art teacher in Unit 5 since 2018, will be the manager — the new title for what was previously known as executive director. Rachel Ratliff and Lauren Bachman also are joining the staff. Bachman has been a K-8 art and Spanish teacher in Metamora since 2023.
Whisman said the changes will help the Illinois Art Station work with public schools more than before.
“That part of the conversation is important,” she said. “And I know that some have said, ‘Well, they're already serving public schools.’ Yes, in some manner they were, but not to the degree that the public schools have told us they would like to. And so we are going to be working on how to increase that and how to be able to serve them.”
Other business
The council also initiated the process of seeking public feedback regarding certain aspects of the zoning code.
The council previously approved an update to the zoning code, with anticipation that staff would return with additional amendments to address errors or omissions, in October. The Normal Planning Commission will seek public feedback and then issue a recommendation to the town council in June.
Amendments proposed include substantive changes, corrections and clarifications.
Rules regarding the P-1 corridor could be changed. It was established in 2005 to prohibit certain "aesthetically challenged" land uses — like adult businesses, truck stops and storage facilities — along sections of Main Street, College Avenue and Veterans Parkway. Circumstances in the two decades have changed, with more vacant businesses and more ways to use landscaping to improve aesthetics than in 2005.
Parking of major recreational equipment also could be addressed. A 2002 ordinance limits the parking of certain items such as RVs, boats or travel trailers in a residential driveway except for between April 1 and Oct. 31. Changes to extend the date to Nov. 31 could be made as climate change has made those activities viable later in the year.
Corrections and clarifications for yard requirements, permitted fence heights and solar-mounted panels also are included.
