Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Presentation

On Tuesday, February 18th, Planner Taylor Udarbe gave a presentation on behalf of the Village of Homer Glen during The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus’ Environment Committee meeting on Dark Skies. This meeting drew in over 60 participants to hear about dark sky practices and certifications from our community as well as other international and local Dark Sky partners, lighting consultants and the Village of Westmont.

The Village took this opportunity to shed light on our community’s background, how we adopted the first standalone lighting ordinance in Illinois, and our Village lighting retrofit programs. Our actions made it possible for our prestigious status as the first Dark Sky Community in the State of Illinois and the fourth Dark Sky Commuinty in the world. 

This February 18th meeting agenda, materials and zoom recording can be found here: https://mayorscaucus.org/environment-committee-2-18-25/. 

Presentation Slides

  1. Village of Homer Glen Dark Sky 02.18.25.pdf
Below are a few fun facts about the Village of homer Glen's Dark Sky status which were gleaned from interviews with the Village's founding members and other Village records:
  • We were the first community located in the halo of a huge metropolitan area to obtain International Dark Sky Community status. We were not a preserve and were not “dark” but we were determined to set an example to our neighbors that we can use responsible lighting.
  • It took us around 5 to 6 years to pass our Outdoor Lightning Ordinance. During this time, the Environment Committee, Village staff, and elected officials spent time educating the public on dark sky principals. The Village hosted bi-annual stargazing events, installed sample dark sky compliant lighting, and hosted workshops during this time.
  • Our first round of lighting retrofits were in 2010. We made it three phases before COVID put this program on hold.
  • While our Lighting Ordinance does not have a timeline for compliance, the Village uses Starry Night Awards, Community & Nature in Harmony Awards, and the Homer Glen Commercial Building Improvement Grant Program to incentivize private lighting upgrades to comply with Village Codes.