WINNEBAGO COUNTY, Ill. — At the Oct. 9 Winnebago County Board meeting, board member Mr. Tassoni urged the board to consider countywide no‑burn restrictions during periods of extreme drought, citing recent field fires and calls from rural residents.

"Over the recent past couple months, the drought, the high winds, the low humidity ... I've had a couple of calls from residents in my district ... I've spoken with Mr. Lindmark, chair of the Public Safety Committee, that maybe we can bring a, you know, topic of discussion, about maybe what the county could do in extreme drought, arid conditions, high winds, that we could maybe enforce some type of no burn restriction throughout the county," Mr. Tassoni said. He noted combines, ditch fires and field fires as examples that motivated the request.

Tassoni asked that the board consider steps to reduce risks and to provide relief to rural firefighters; he suggested the idea for committee discussion and comparison to practices in other states such as Wisconsin. The board did not take immediate formal action; Mr. Tassoni framed the item as an awareness request and suggested bringing it to a future committee (Public Safety) for discussion.

Context and next steps
Mr. Tassoni said he had already spoken with Public Safety Committee chair Mr. Lindmark and recommended that the Public Safety Committee consider potential county authority and enforcement mechanisms during extreme conditions. No ordinance or binding action was introduced at the Oct. 9 meeting; further deliberation and any regulatory proposal would require committee review and a future board vote.