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Vote no on Campton fire district

“Should Campton Hills operate its own fire protection district?”

The novice village is asking for a backdoor tax levy on Campton Hills residents in an advisory question on the April 5 ballot. Approval is likely with distracted voters and a light turnout.

You may have heard that “Countryside” Fire Protection District will need a tax increase to “expand” fire protection services voters say they want. “Countryside” is scrambling to provide these new services by May 1 from a building under construction in Wasco.

Campton Hills residents now pay 19 cents to the “Countryside” taxing district. When voters approve the 50-percent increase that “Countryside” needs to pay for expanded services, “Countryside’s” new levy will be higher than Kane County. What is that?

If Campton Hills gets an OK from voters, takes over these services and the “Countryside” levy on Campton Hills residents, Campton Hills officials will say residents have expanded fire protection services without any new taxes. Here we go again. Remember the village’s promise of no taxation to fund village services in the first place?

Even state lawmakers think consolidation in the case of school districts is the best way given the economic conditions we are facing over the next years, but not in Campton Hills where we need more taxing bodies.

Campton Hills officials want their first real tax to fill in the space already printed on your current tax bill for their levy (now 0.000000). I think smart voters can see through the smoke screen of the flap over write-in candidates and a brick facade on the new fire station.

Voting no on Campton Hills operating its own fire protection district makes the most sense.

Mark Anderson

St. Charles