Campton Hills will seek advice via referendums

Campton Hills trustees will use the Feb. 5 election to ask residents for feedback on three issues facing the village.

The village board this week approved putting three advisory referendum questions on the ballot.

The questions will ask voters whether they want trustees to develop a mosquito abatement program; spend up to $14,000 on six emergency warning sirens; and collect impact fees from new developments for parks and other public projects.

Advisory referendum questions are not binding, so village officials would not be obligated to act based on voters' responses.

"We're just trying to get an idea about what people think about those issues," Village President Patsy Smith said Wednesday. "It's just a cheap way to get input."

The land that became Campton Hills after residents voted to incorporate in the last election had neither a mosquito abatement program nor sirens to warn the public of natural disasters, such as tornadoes.

Several residents called officials asking about those issues after last month's severe storms felled trees and left the village rain-soaked, Smith said.

As for impact fees, the village must set its own requirements if residents want to continue receiving land and cash donations from developers who dealt with the county and Campton Township in the past.

Also on the ballot…

Campton Hills residents on Feb. 5 also will elect six trustees and a village president -- the first elected leaders since a temporary group was appointed earlier this year. The elected village president will serve until the April 2011 election; three trustees will serve until April 2009, and three will serve until April 2011, as determined by a straw poll after the election. Paperwork to file for the offices is available at village hall, 40W115 Campton Crossings Drive.