Application fees are not refundable. They are intended to cover the costs necessary to review the application. 

Yes; appeals are made to the circuit court and generally must be filed with the court soon after the decision has been made.

A property owner can submit an application to rezone the property to another classification that allows the proposed use (i.e., map amendment). If the Village's zoning code does not allow the proposed use in any of the zoning districts, a property owner can submit an application to revise the text to allow the use in one or more of the zoning districts (i.e., text amendment). To get more details about the process and basic requirements to amend the code, go to the Permit Center page and select Code Amendment.

For some types of development reviews, the Village charges the applicant for the time spent by the Village engineer, attorney, planner, or other professional in reviewing their application. In that way, taxpayers aren't paying for the cost of development activities. Invoices are mailed periodically to the applicant as the Village incurs such costs.

A public hearing is intended to allow the petitioner the opportunity to describe their proposed project and interested parties the opportunity to share their concerns with the reviewing authority. While all public comments are welcome, speakers should focus on those elements of the project that are within the review authority's scope of authority. Consistent with established policies, public comments may be limited in duration to make sure everyone can be heard.