Campton Hills legal tab for 2007 paid off

Campton Hills officials made another big payment to village attorneys this week, but the bills are still rolling in.

With Tuesday's dispersal of $63,388.85 to Chicago-area firm Arnstein & Lehr LLP, the village caught up on legal debt dating to the end of last year, officials said. January's and February's bills are expected to arrive soon.

Last year, Arnstein & Lehr delayed billing the village for several months, acknowledging the recently incorporated town did not yet have enough money on hand to keep up with a highly litigious year in which the village was challenged in court on numerous fronts.

So far, taxpayers have spent nearly $250,000 in legal services for Campton Hills, not including totals from the last two months, which were not immediately available.

But Village Attorney Bill Braithwaite said he doesn't expect the village to be in court as much this year as last year.

"Heavens, I hope not," he said.