Group wants to undo Campton Hills

The newborn village of Campton Hills will be short-lived if a group of residents seeking to dissolve the municipality through a referendum gets its way.

But election laws indicate the group, calling itself the Stop Campton Hills Public Action Committee, faces an uphill battle -- in this election cycle, anyway.

At issue is whether the organization can achieve the legal means to place a fourth referendum question on the Feb. 5 ballot, assuming it gets the necessary 2,400 petition signatures for such a move.

The village itself already has taken steps to place three advisory referendum questions on the ballot, which is restricted by law to only three referendums. And county and state election officials say the only way to get a fourth question on the ballot is through a judge's order or a statutory amendment.

Regardless, dissolution proponents such as north-side resident Chris Baldwin say they won't let the issue go until it's on a ballot.

"We decided this is probably our best avenue -- a very reasonable, achievable avenue," said Baldwin, who has lived in the area for 19 years. "If we don't make it (this election cycle), we'll try to come back in November."

The dissolution push is the latest in several ongoing legal battles over the fate of the village, which narrowly won incorporation rights by 424 votes in the spring election.

Since then, residents from multiple neighborhoods have sought civil court permission to disconnect from the village, saying they fear higher taxes and oppose the village's stance on development. The cases are pending in court.

Last month, meanwhile, appointed village leaders took the unusual step of placing three advisory referendums on the Feb. 5 ballot, asking residents their thoughts on the relatively low-key issues of mosquito abatement, emergency warning sirens and developer impact fees.

Village President Patsy Smith said Friday officials never intended to keep a fourth item off the ballot; they just wanted a cheap means for getting resident feedback. She added, however, that village officials oppose the dissolution drive.

"No village president is going to want to see a dissolution question on the ballot," she said. "I think it's unfortunate that we have residents who are not willing to give the village the opportunity to exist and grow before they decide what we're offering is unacceptable."

Baldwin said a core group of about 100 residents from 13 neighborhoods is actively involved in the dissolution push. The residents are circulating petitions, putting up signs reading "Free Us From Campton Hills" and meeting regularly to strategize and raise funds, he said.

To place a dissolution question on any ballot, the organization would need about 2,400 petition signatures -- or just more than half of the number of voters, 4,082, in the spring election.

Baldwin is confident the number is attainable.

"The majority of the people here really do not want this," he said. "This is one of those instances where the minority caught the majority off guard, and we're working to correct it."

The deadline for filing referendum paperwork for the Feb. 5 election is Nov. 19.

Dissolution meeting

• A group of Campton Hills residents seeking to dissolve the village plans to meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Congregational United Church of Christ, 40W451 Fox Mill Blvd. For more information, call (630) 400-7372.