Campton Hills loses 500 acres

A Kane County judge has agreed to disconnect nearly 500 acres from Campton Hills, calling the financial impact to the village "trivial."

The disconnected land includes the historic Corron Farm open-space area and an alpaca farm on the far northern edge of the village, as well as a third farm and an individual parcel.

Without the properties, Campton Hills tax revenue is expected to decrease by about $2,000 a year, according to the ruling issued recently by Judge Michael J. Colwell.

"That amount is so trivial when compared to the village's overall revenues that it hardly bears further discussion," Colwell wrote.

Attorney Timothy Elliott, who represented the property owners, said Monday the ruling was not a surprise. Colwell previously has sided with several other residents seeking to detach from village borders.

"Frankly, we were very surprised how much time, money and energy the village expended in fighting this," Elliott said. "They fought tooth and nail, but they're not going to see any economic impact from these disconnections until 2011 at the earliest - and they're only going to lose about $2,000 a year after that."

Since its controversial incorporation less than two years ago, the village has resisted a flood of property owners who filed petitions to revert their land to unincorporated Kane County.

Campton Hills officials argue the disconnections could be cumulatively devastating to village finances. But Colwell, who addressed most of the cases individually, has repeatedly noted the village has the ability to levy taxes if its income suffers.

In the latest ruling, Colwell described the village as a "very large and prosperous community" with a "substantial" property tax base of more than $592 million. He said a $2,000 annual loss is "too small a figure to have any meaningful impact on the village's overall revenue base."

Village Attorney Bill Braithwaite said officials had not yet reviewed the ruling and had no comment on it Monday afternoon. He added that a zoning dispute over the alpaca farm would be in the county's hands instead of the village if the disconnection stands.

"The village, of course, will retain its right to have a voice in those county proceedings," Braithwaite said.