Campton Hills signature list to be pared down

The list of signatures being challenged in a bid to dissolve the village of Campton Hills will be pared down before attorneys take their case to Kane County officials next week.

A three-member panel is set to hear arguments on the contested signatures Dec. 19, a hearing that could determine if voters will be allowed to resolve the matter.

Supporters of a proposal to reverse the incorporation of Campton Hills had gathered 2,354 signatures to put the question on the ballot.

The validity of roughly 500 of those signatures are under scrutiny, a number expected to be pared by about 100 by next week, said Mary Dickson, an attorney for residents trying to keep the village intact.

Opponents of the proposed referendum say hundreds of the signatures are invalid, in part because they belong to residents not registered to vote.

"We're going to see if we can hone it down and fight over the real ones," Dickson said Tuesday after a hearing on the matter.

The number of valid signatures is important because 2,059 are needed to create a referendum on the ballot.

Even if enough signatures withstand the challenge, it is unclear when voters will be able to weigh in, because the proposed referendum likely wouldn't appear on the ballot before November.

On Dec. 3, Kane County Judge Michael Colwell rejected a request to put the question to a vote Feb. 5, in part because the ballot was already too crowded. The referendum also is ruled out for a special election March 8.

The election panel includes the Kane County clerk, state's attorney and circuit court clerk, or their appointed assistants.