Campton Hills shrinks by another 290 acres

A Kane County judge has ruled in favor of allowing 290 more acres to be disconnected from the village of Campton Hills.

The affected land consists of 115 acres of west-side residential properties known as Campton Trail and 176 acres of mixed-use parcels along the east side of Denker Road.

The recent rulings by Judge Michael J. Colwell are the latest in a series following the village's controversial incorporation in the spring of 2007, which prompted several groups of property owners to petition the court for disconnection.

"I think the court decided the legal issues correctly," said attorney Rob Villa, who represented property owners in Campton Trail. "The clients were very pleased."

Village President Patsy Smith said Campton Hills has 30 days to appeal but no decision had been made as of Wednesday. She declined further comment.

In most of the cases so far, the village has argued disconnections would hurt its per capita state revenue and hamper long-term planning efforts. But the judge has mostly ruled in favor of disconnection, pointing out the village has the ability to levy property taxes should it find itself in a financial bind.

Attorney Pat Griffin, who represented the Denker Road property owners, said his clients hope Colwell's recent decision is the end of their battle to leave the village.

"It's been kind of a long time coming," he said. "They're hopeful the village respects the judge's decision and doesn't take it any further, that this is the end of it."

The two disconnected areas have a combined population of about 170 residents, the attorneys estimated.