Grafton board to vote on township hall contracts

If Tuesday's annual meeting in Grafton Township was like a box of chocolates, supporters and opponents of a new township hall spent Wednesday picking out their favorite candies and ignoring the rest.

At the meeting, township residents voted against building a new township hall, but in favor of awarding contracts for the construction of a new hall.

Instead of acknowledging the mixed bag, stakeholders on both sides of the issue said Wednesday they were charging ahead with plans to either push the building through or block its construction.

The Grafton Township board is scheduled to vote Thursday on construction contracts for a new township hall at Grafton Farm Drive and Haligus Road in Lake in the Hills. The board, which has supported the building plans, appears likely to approve the contracts.

"We did significant analysis on this for the past two years," Trustee Rob LaPorta said. "We're most likely going to stick to our conclusions."

Supporters of a new, $3.5 million building argue the township's current facility can't meet increasing demand for services. The loan for the new building, they say, can be repaid without a tax increase.

Opponents argue a new building is unnecessary and that the township would require a tax hike to fund.

The township board is acting on the advice of their attorney, Jim Kelly, who said Tuesday's votes were not binding.

But Jim Bishop, an attorney representing opponents of the new building, said the votes mean the township must place the issue up for a vote in the next general election. If trustees approve the contracts Thursday, Bishop's clients plan to sue.

Linda Moore, who takes over for current Supervisor John Rossi in May, said the board should wait until she is sworn in before voting on the controversial issue.

But LaPorta pointed out that even when Moore and a new trustee are seated, supporters of the new building will still hold a majority.

"There's no real reason to wait," he said.