(A) Upon receipt of a copy of a request for site location approval, the Administrator of the Department of Planning and Zoning shall be responsible for coordinating the review of the request with the following:
(1) Municipalities within one and one-half miles of the proposed site;
(2) County Regional Planning Commission;
(3) County Engineer;
(4) County E.M.A. Director;
(5) County State’s Attorney;
(6) County Health Department Director of Environmental Health; and
(7) County Soil and Water Conservation District Conservationist.
(B) The Planning and Zoning Department is authorized to call inter-departmental meetings and set deadlines for the submittal of reports and recommendations.
(C) A representative of the aforenamed departments/officials shall attend the public hearings and may ask the questions as are needed to assist it in reaching their recommendations.
(D) The Administrator of the Department of Planning and Zoning may retain engineering, planning and legal consultants on behalf of the county. All consultants hired by the county and all county staff involved in the application review process, excluding the State’s Attorney and/or his or her designee(s), shall conduct their review of the application independent from the County Pollution Control Site Hearing Committee and the County Board. In addition, all county staff, excluding the State’s Attorney and/or his or her designee(s), and consultants shall be prohibited from participating with the Pollution Control Site Hearing Committee members or the County Board members during their deliberations on the application. The consultant and the afore named department/officials shall commence a study of the application. The applicant shall cooperate fully with the consultants and the staff of the county in their review of the application, including providing access to the site for study or testing, including, but not limited to, geophysical testing. The Administrator of the Department of Planning and Zoning, in conjunction with the aforenamed departments/official and consultants, may, but is not required to, prepare and submit a report and recommendation in connection with the application prior to the first public hearing. Any report, studies or exhibits prepared concerning the application prior to the first public hearing shall be filed with the County Clerk no later than ten days in advance of the first public hearings. Copies of any documents filed by the consultants and department/officials shall be available for public inspection in the office of the County Clerk and members of the public shall be allowed to obtain a copy of the documents upon payment of the actual costs of reproduction.
(E) The Administrator of the Department of Planning and Zoning in conjunction with the aforenamed department/officials and consultants, may, but is not required to, prepare and submit a final report to the County Pollution Control Site Hearing Committee. The final report shall summarize the public hearing process and the comments received during the 30-day public comment period. In addition, the final report may provide specific recommendations to the Committee concerning whether the applicant has satisfied the relevant siting criteria and any special conditions the staff and consultants feel are appropriate. If a final report is prepared, it shall be filed with the County Clerk at least three days prior to the meeting date at which the County Pollution Control Site Hearing Committee renders a final recommendation to the County Board on whether to approve or deny the request for siting approval. Copies of any documents filed by the consultants and departments/officials shall be available for public inspection in the office of the County Clerk and members of the public shall be allowed to obtain a copy of the documents upon payment of the actual cost of reproduction.
(Prior Code, § 153.22) (Res. passed 3-16-1989; Res. passed 10-14-1999)