Vernon votes Sept. 16 on mixed-use, mobile repair shop zoning rules

Vernon's zoning rules could change Wednesday night. The village council has scheduled public hearings on three ordinances at its 6 p.m. Sept. 16 regular meeting at Village Hall, 120 E. Main Street, and the posted agenda lists each one for a vote the same evening.

The three are Ordinance No. 26-03, listed on the agenda as "Mixed Use"; Ordinance No. 26-04, listed as "Definition"; and Ordinance No. 26-05, listed as "Mobile Repair Facility." Each is marked "Consider approving." A mixed-use provision generally governs whether a single building or parcel can hold both commercial and residential uses; a mobile repair facility provision would address repair work performed at a customer's location rather than at a fixed garage. The agenda does not include the text of any of the three, so what they actually permit or restrict — and where in the village — is not on file with the notice.

Anyone who wants to speak gets one turn of up to three minutes, either during the call to audience or during a hearing, and comments during a hearing have to stay on the subject of that hearing, according to the agenda's rules for addressing the council.

The meeting is also the first public accounting of what happened at the council's Aug. 26 special meeting. The minutes of that session are up for approval Wednesday. The Current reported in August that the special meeting agenda listed a raise for DPW Superintendent Trevor Graves, a review of the March 31, 2026 audit, and a three-year audit proposal from Berthiaume & Company. Neither the raise amount nor the cost of the audit contract has been made public, and the agenda for Wednesday does not attach the minutes.

Also on the agenda: approval of bills and accounts, again without an itemized list attached; a Downtown Development Authority update and a vote on DDA bylaws; updates from the planning commission, the Redevelopment Ready Committee and the Christmas in the Village committee; and correspondence including Durand Police Chief Robert Brancheau's August police report, Graves' August DPW report, and August permits. Durand police cover the village under contract, and the chief reports monthly to the Vernon council.

What happens next: the council meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, at Village Hall, 120 E. Main Street. The Current has asked the village clerk's office for the text of ordinances 26-03, 26-04 and 26-05, the Aug. 26 minutes and the bills list, and will report the votes. Residents who need an auxiliary aid or service to attend are directed to contact Village Clerk Krista Goodman at (989) 288-2300 with 72 hours' notice.