DeKalb County Farm Bureau Position Page
Below are the DeKalb County Government positions taken by the DeKalb County Farm Bureau.  Please review these positions and 
contact your County Board member to register your support.

Health Care
- We support the continued fiscal independence of the operation of the DeKalb County Rehab and Nursing Center and oppose future tax liability being placed on taxpayers. We continue to support efforts to fund extra amenities for the facility through private sector donations.
Open Space
- We encourage prudent use of new land acquisition dollars in purchasing land for future open space needs that follows the guidelines set forth by the DeKalb County Forest Preserve Commission. Farm Bureau also encourages the county to be aware of the maintenance costs associated with property acquisition and consider this cost prior to acquiring property. 
- We support and encourage the use of private donations, in lieu of property taxes, to fund any purchase and future maintenance of public lands. We strongly encourage the Commission to evaluate the impact that land acquisition, whether it be for parks, natural areas and or bike paths, has on adjoining agricultural land and other local service providers in the community. When considering future land acquisition needs, all present public and private owned green space currently preserved in DeKalb County should be considered before additional land is acquired. We encourage the County to consider State of Illinois and municipal park areas within the boundaries of DeKalb County when making future projections for open space needs. We encourage the County to work with public utilities in order to gain right-of-way when new infrastructure is put in place. We support wetland banking and recommend that all up-front capital costs to create a wetland bank be paid through the mitigation process of interested parties and not from the current forest preserve budget. We also encourage the evaluation of surrounding areas when establishing a wetland bank. Minimizing adverse impact to surrounding land uses should be a top priority before approving any wetland bank in DeKalb County.
- We oppose the public taking of land to accomplish this endeavor. The same holds true for conservation areas identified on the 2000 Comprehensive Plan. Conservation designations should not limit the ability of the landowner to use that property for its intended purpose. 
Infrastructure
- As growth continues in DeKalb County, its impact on transportation and the shipment of commerce between communities will become ever so important. We encourage the County to work closely with municipal governments to alleviate congestion and provide sufficient means to assist in the flow of commerce. 
- Farm Bureau continues to support making Peace Road an 80,000 lb. thoroughfare around the cities of DeKalb and Sycamore and encourage the County to remain strong on limiting access to this road. We also ask the County to support legislation allowing local jurisdictions to issue permits for 80,000 lb. divisible loads to and from the farm in order to connect with currently designated 80,000 lb. roads. 
- We support and encourage the maintenance of county road right-of-way through routine mowing, responsible snow plowing practices and the eradication of noxious weeds and other weeds posing safety, environmental and liability concerns to the public. 
- We encourage the county transportation department to be open to the concerns expressed by township highway commissioners and allow for flexibility in road design criteria due to the limited budgets many of the rural townships face throughout the county.
Safety and Law
- Farm Bureau continues to support the County Board's efforts to research alternatives to all incarceration in order to minimize the cost to taxpayers. 
- We commend the County for approaching the voters with a proposition to alleviate jail space issues and encourage continued education on this issue. We continue to support the sales tax proposal as one method to resolve the situation. 
- We support the exploration of alternatives to enhance the efficiency of courthouse operations as DeKalb County prepares itself for growth in population. In addition to one more courtroom, alternatives needing further research include the use of night court and rotating courtrooms. We realize joint cooperation of current offices has improved case flow and hope this effort will continue. 
Planning and Zoning
- Farm Bureau continues to support a 40 acre lot size in the A-1 District of the DeKalb County Comprehensive Plan. Preservation of prime agricultural land should continue to be a top priority with support of the county LESA (Land Evaluation Site Assessment) system. This precious natural resource we possess in DeKalb County not only serves the residents of DeKalb County through the enhancement of quality of life, but it also is a societal benefit in regards to food supply for the world and is a necessary resource for production agriculture. 
- We oppose the creation of future boundary agreements (green space zones) similar to the one adopted by DeKalb County and the cities of Genoa and Sycamore. Such agreements have adverse impacts on land values and should offer compensation to landowners adversely impacted by this type of a growth control tool. 
- Farm Bureau also supports efforts to keep the growth in and around current municipal boundaries and strongly supports the County's effort to work with municipalities in developing comprehensive plans within 1½ miles of municipal boundaries.
- We encourage the County to work with all drainage districts when considering any stormwater proposals that impact drainage within these districts. 
- We oppose all negotiations with the Native American Nation relative to casino gaming until federal authorities approve claim to the land subject to this type of development. 
- We support County efforts to update the current Solid Waste Plan and consider proposals for future waste generations in DeKalb County. Existing landfill expansion as well as the transfer of waste should all be part of this exploration process. We do not support the siting of a new landfill in DeKalb County. We do not support a regional landfill concept in our backyard that accepts waste from Cook, Kane, DuPage or other collar counties, regardless of the potential revenue gains.

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