Campton Hills faces crucial vote

A little more than a year after its controversial incorporation, the village of Campton Hills again faces uncertainty come Election Day.

This time, voters will be asked whether the 22-square-mile village west of St. Charles should be dissolved, effectively making it unincorporated Kane County again.

Opponents of the village's original incorporation are urging taxpayers to vote "yes" to the ballot question, arguing the village never should have been created in the first place.

Supporters say the new municipality has accomplished a lot in its first year and taxpayers should vote "no" to ensure its survival.

Arguments on both sides underscore a rocky political climate that continues to divide the village 17 months after it formed.

"This isn't the kind of government anybody wants," said dissolution supporter Chris Baldwin. "It's politics at its worst."

Baldwin has been leading the charge to dismantle the village nearly since the day it incorporated in May 2007. Thousands of petition signers helped get the dissolution question on the Nov. 4 ballot, despite backlash from the village board.

In Baldwin's view, local taxpayers have little to gain and much to lose by backing the village as an official municipality.

He says the commercial tax base is insufficient for supporting an additional layer of bureaucracy, and predicts that residents at some point will face new taxes.

Charles Cappell, a former village trustee who is campaigning against dissolution, notes the village is bound by tax cap laws and could not levy taxes without a referendum, even if it wanted.

He says the village has proved it is financially responsible and local taxes are unnecessary.

"This is an anti-tax haven out here," Cappell said. "We've tried to demonstrate we can run a lean village. I think we've lived up to our expectations."

Records show the village takes in about $278,000 in sales and $1.7 million in state taxes annually. Before incorporation, that money would have gone directly to Kane County instead of the village, supporters are quick to point out.

Village officials acknowledge, however, they've spent far larger sums than initially expected on legal expenses, mostly stemming from attempts by dozens of properties to disconnect from the municipal borders.

Baldwin says the village's ongoing battles in such disconnection cases are hypocritical because one of the reasons supporters cited in pushing to incorporate was the ability they would have as a local government to set its own development guidelines and deter encroachment from developing cities nearby, such as Elgin.

"An instrumental tenant for creating this village was self-determination," Baldwin said. "Yet people who never asked to be a part of the village have to sue to get out. Where in the world does the law say that's right?"

Opponents and supporters also continue to haggle over whether the relatively quiet village needs the 10-officer police department it started last October.

Whatever happens on Nov. 4, state law prohibits another referendum on dissolution for 22 months.