Law change a benefit to East Dundee
An amendment to the state's annexation law approved by the Illinois General Assembly is poised to make way for East Dundee to add at least 5 acres to the village limits.
The House and Senate approved an amendment to the state's annexation law that allows municipalities to leapfrog certain open spaces for annexation. Representatives in the House approved the change 98 to 16 last month, while the Senate approved the amendment 52-3 on Tuesday.
The bill now awaits the signature of Gov. Pat Quinn.
"This is a pretty big deal for a town that has been struggling to get economic development going," said Rep. Keith Farnham, a Democrat from Elgin who sponsored the bill. "There is some sales tax involved and this would let East Dundee have an effect on economic development along that corridor."
For years the village has sought to annex the GAT Guns property, a 5-acre parcel on Route 25 in unincorporated Kane County. The business, which is connected to the village's water and sewer supply, plans to expand and would benefit from development opportunities and incentives if it became a part of East Dundee.
But the privately held Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation that sits between the village border and the GAT Guns property has stymied annexation plans. Under state law, municipalities may only annex noncontiguous properties if the territory to be annexed is separated by a ComEd right-of-way, an interstate or a public open space, such as a forest preserve.
In Farnham's bill, a municipality must prove the conservation area creates an artificial barrier to preventing the annexation of a property that has access to the municipal water and sewer service, as well as existing easements and rights of way for access.
The village could extend its border to include Pampered Pets, Steinland and the Milk Restaurant.
"This allows us to do some things," Village Administrator Frank Koehler said. "There is still a lot of work to do, but we can prepare to work with individual property owners."