County revises cost-share for Campton Hills subdivision

Kane County has revised a controversial cost-sharing proposal to address flooding in a Campton Hills subdivision, but the savings might not be enough to win over homeowners.

Under the revised plan, Evening Prairie property owners would see their collective share of the cost to replace failing drain tiles drop by nearly 23 percent, to $90,000 from $116,500. Kane County's share also would decrease, from $106,500 to $80,000, while the village's $10,000 contribution is expected to remain the same.

The figures were adjusted after homeowners warned they might reject a previous arrangement. Either plan requires the creation of a special taxing district that would remain in place for 10 years; homeowners need majority support from the subdivision to halt it.

"It's still going to wind up in court," homeowner Bill Stadelmann said after hearing the revised plan at Tuesday's village board meeting. "There's no way people are going to pay this."

For months, Kane County has been working and reworking proposals to lessen the financial burden on property owners, many of whom say Evening Prairie's flood problems are entirely the county's responsibility.

Paul Schuch, the county's water resources director, said the county was able to shave $53,000 from the original proposal by revising some methods and materials for the project. Generally speaking, the subdivision's aging drain tile system has been infiltrated by roots and debris, he said, causing soil saturation in some areas and flooding in others.

Officials have warned that ignoring the problem could lead to septic issues that might raise public health concerns and possibly cause some properties to be condemned.

The drainage system "has reached (the end of) its useful service life," Schuch told homeowners Tuesday. "There are no quick remedies."

Under the latest cost-sharing proposal, individual property owners would be charged as little as $14.86 to as much as $12,491, depending on the size and location of their properties and other environmental factors. Any petition to reject the special taxing district would have to be filed by early August.

"I think all of us recognize they have a drainage problem," Village President Patsy Smith said Wednesday. "I'm hopeful the residents will let this proceed forward to get this problem fixed. At this point, the village and county are doing all they can to help the subdivision resolve their drainage problems and I hope they take advantage of this opportunity."