Campton Hills group might try for dissolution again

A day after facing defeat at the polls, proponents of a referendum to dissolve the village of Campton Hills wouldn't rule out the possibility of trying again.

"It's most certainly a possibility if the village does not respond to nearly half the residents who live here and who have been ignored to date," said Chris Baldwin, who lead the push to dissolve. "I would hope they would reach out to our side. We're willing to reciprocate."

The controversial issue, combined with a historic presidential election, resulted in an 82 percent voter turnout in Campton Hills, with 3,744 ballots cast against dissolution and 3,377 in support of it - a difference of just 367 votes, unofficial results show.

Baldwin said he believes that divide would remain until Campton Hills officials address several issues, including speculation that nearby Elgin is threatening encroachment and that all dissolution supporters work in the development industry, as well as concerns about the village's ZIP code and the future of its undeveloped land.

Baldwin said he also hopes trustees change legal course and allow dozens of landowners seeking to disconnect their properties from outlying parts of the village without an expensive courtroom battle.

"People have given up their vacations to pay for the right to disconnect, which is allowed by state statute," he said.

Village President Patsy Smith responded Wednesday by saying she planned to get in touch with Baldwin to discuss the village's future now that the election is behind them. She disputed, however, his take on the issues.

"What we have always explained to people is that undeveloped land in our area was eligible for annexation by an municipality as long as they were contiguous, which includes the city of Elgin, who has already annexed 778 acres in our immediate area," she said.

Smith also said it would be "ludicrous" for the village to assume all dissolution supporters were homebuilders who stood to gain by less rigid development guidelines under unincorporated rule, although the supporters often brought up Baldwin's background in that industry during the campaign.

As for property disconnection cases, "The village board will be re-evaluating everything at our next meeting in executive session," she said. "We've made certain projections (about the potential results of disconnection cases) based on our best guesses and we need to continue to trial for some technical issues that need to be resolved by the courts."

Regardless of what happens next, Baldwin said dissolution supporters would continue to act as a watchdogs on village affairs and might consider running for office in the spring election.

State statute bars the village from having another dissolution referendum for at least 22 months.