Grafton Twp. to reverse building sale

Grafton Township officials are on their way to reclaiming the building where they are based — with an assist from township residents.

Under an agreement with the township road district, the township is paying off the $700,000 the road district paid for that building; when the sale is reversed, the township will stop paying rent to the road district ($2,600 a month) and again become its own landlord.

The township sold offices on Vine Street in Huntley to the road district because trustees anticipated moving to a new location in Lake in the Hills. That plan was quashed by a lawsuit originally filed by Township Supervisor Linda Moore and other residents.

The agreement with the road district calls for the township to pay back the money it received for its property in three payments over three years.

Moore, though, wanted the money repaid all at once — saving on rent.

“We could use that money for a lot of other things,” she said.

But at the township’s annual meeting last week, residents rejected Moore’s proposal and endorsed the three-year repayment plan.

“The reason we decided to put it over three years was the financial uncertainty of the books,” Township Trustee Rob LaPorta said. “We’re attempting to keep things as smooth as possible within the continued political issues that are arising.”

Moore says she is complying with the road district agreement and residents’ votes — for now at least.

“That’s my position today,” Moore said. “Things may change in the future.”

Moore declined to elaborate on how things might change or why. LaPorta said he feared another lawsuit targeting the trustees — which wouldn’t be unusual for Grafton Township.

The township has been ensnared in litigation since before Moore and the current board were elected in 2009. In the latest lawsuit, Moore and the trustees fought for authority over township government — with both sides claiming victory.