The Village of Flower Hill Board of Trustees Monday night voted to designate the dead-end portion of Birch Lane as a surplus of the village and sell it to a surrounding homeowner, which will save the village money.
Mayor Randall Rosenbaum previously said the village was looking to sell the spot because it costs money for the village to maintain that section of the street and the current homeowner was also interested in purchasing it. He said it would save the village money by not having to maintain the stretch, such as repaving the street or plowing it to remove snow.
The board voted to declare the dead end of Birch Lane a surplus of the village and to sell it for its appraised value of $600,000.
Two homeowners live along the property for sale, which spans 215-225 Elderfields Road, both of whom are family members.
The village administrator said the property would be purchased by one of the surrounding homeowners.
A condition of the sale is that the homeowner buying the property must provide an easement for the other home located along the property.
The board also adopted a new security service policy in the wake of hiring its patrol services. Rosenbaum said it calls for the security companies to provide information, including their contact information, routes and schedules, as well as a commitment to being unarmed and not engaging with “wrongdoers.”
The village launched its security services on Jan. 31, Rosenbaum said, which patrol the village every night from 10 p.m.-6 a.m.
“I have seen them go by my house many, many, many times on the camera,” Rosenbaum said. “I think they’ve been doing a pretty good job.”
The implementation of security patrols in the village came after a series of crimes and car break-ins occurred over a single weekend in early December that sparked calls from residents to bolster security in the village.
The mayor said that based on the security company’s GPS data, it appears they have patrolled every village road. The village receives nightly reports on the patrols based on GPS and incident reports.
With less than a week of patrol services, the mayor said they have already provided assistance to local police in the search for a missing minivan Sunday night.
The village is also seeking changes to its tree code, which Rosenbaum said clarifies issues the village has had with permits and enforcement.
“I think this kind of tightens everything up so there’s no questions,” Rosenbaum said.
A public hearing on the tree code changes will be held at a later date.
The Village of Flower Hill Board of Trustees will convene again at 7:30 p.m. on March 4.
