Campton Hills explores buying a building for village offices

Campton Hills officials are exploring the possibility of buying a permanent home for village hall, but Village President Patsy Smith says such a move would be premature.

"Until our state is on firmer financial ground, I don't think it's fiscally responsible to be making those decisions," she said.

At a village board meeting this month, Trustee Al Lenkaitis Jr. said the village could save money in the long run by investing in a building rather than continuing to rent. He said Campton Hills currently spends about $2,700 a month in rent and taxes for a roughly 1,200-square-foot suite that houses its municipal offices and police department at 40W115 Campton Crossings Drive.

The village has been headquartered there since it incorporated three years ago.

"I don't want to rent anymore if we don't have to," Lenkaitis said. "Preliminary research shows we'll be able to find a larger space for less money."

According to Lenkaitis, the village might be eligible for a low-interest government loan with a 40-year mortgage.

He said he has scouted at least two downtown buildings and believes the village could make a purchase for roughly $500,000.

"It's an investment," Lenkaitis said.

But Smith said she is uncomfortable with taking on debt in light of Illinois' ongoing budget crisis.

If state-shared revenue to Campton Hills falls behind, she said, the village might have difficulty keeping up.

"One of the reasons we've still been able to provide services is, we don't owe money," Smith said. "I just think it's premature."

Trustee Jim Kopec said he would support buying a piece of property as long as it doesn't hurt the village's cash flow or credit rating.

"We're spending money on office space today that is just being thrown away," he said. "You have nothing to show for it."

Kopec said it would be nice to have additional space for meetings, offices and other village business.

But he wants a precise account of moving and remodeling costs before making any decisions.

"The last thing we want is surprises," Kopec said.

Smith said Campton Hills will continue to gather information, but no decisions are expected for at least a month.

Village officials also are awaiting results from the latest Census, which should give them a better idea of how much per capita state revenue to expect in coming years.