We need your support! City Hall Monday, March 13th @ 7:30 PM DuPage County Board Member, Liz Chaplin, will speak on our behalf Could be the FOIA request; could be the weekly media coverage; we don't know why, exactly, but the aldermen have changed course. Without notice or contact, they submitted our hoop house topic to the City Council to be taken up for discussion. It was passed straight through to a sub-committee for review and research. The sub-committee is tasked with getting into the details and making a recommendation to the larger council. This is not a home run for us. There are several potential outcomes at this point. A) The subcommittee could review the topic and go back to the council to recommend against making hoop houses legal in Elmhurst. B) The subcommittee could let this issue die, and never bring it back to the City Council. This is not uncommon when a contentious issue is brought before the Council. I have been told directly by an alderman that if an issue does not appear to be a slam dunk with the community (which some aldermen are arguing in our case) then they will bring the issue to committee - to look like they are "doing something" - and let it die there. C) The subcommittee could review the details and recommend that an ordinance is written to allow hoop houses in such a way that is so restrictive (too short to stand in, too small to do any good, etc...) that it is an effective ban. D) The subcommittee could review the details and be required (by us) to recommend a practical, effective and common sense ordinance to the City Council. Although we are grateful that two aldermen have been willing to bring this issue officially to the council without forcing us to give up our right to appeal; the fact that they did not contact us about it directly or through our attorney after repeatedly and recently telling us that this would not/could not happen together with the fact that they will not take a position "in favor" of hoop houses tells us that we still have our work cut out for us. We need to be prepared to keep letting them know that we are watching, and expecting them to represent our interests. I will have a significant amount of research relating to the ordinances in other suburbs surrounding Chicago - most all of whom allow for hoop houses as an accessory structure. Please attend this meeting. Hear our County Board member speak on our behalf. Get a "Hooplah" button. Be part of the change. Thank you for your support and consideration. This has been a much longer endeavor than we ever imagined. Sincerely, Nicole & Crew