COD president wants out of Glen Ellyn

Weeks of rancor have resulted in the College of DuPage board discussing the possibility of de-annexing from Glen Ellyn and becoming part of Wheaton.

COD President Robert Breuder said he has spoken with Wheaton leaders about the possibility of the city providing water and sewer service to the campus rather than Glen Ellyn.

The acknowledgment of the discussions with Wheaton officials comes on the heels of a high-profile squabble between the college and Glen Ellyn over recently installed electronic directional signs. Glen Ellyn cited the college for installing the devices without a permit and the college responded by taking the village to court in an effort to gain autonomy.

But Breuder said the relationship between the village and the college hasn't soured recently.

"This whole situation with Glen Ellyn is unfortunate and it didn't emerge this year," Breuder said. "It has existed for years. Maybe this partnership is not in the best interest of the college and we should explore alternatives rather than having this seemingly annual conflict."

Breuder alleges the village has routinely and excessively charged the college fees and service charges. Breuder said the village has hired consultants to examine college proposals and then charged the college for those consulting fees. He also said the college is defined as an independent entity by state law and shouldn't have to submit to the village's demands.

"The village continues to enforce its ordinances on the College of DuPage even though they're not legally positioned to do so," he said.

Glen Ellyn attorney Stewart Diamond wouldn't comment on Breuder's allegations, but said the college has little chance of successfully "disconnecting" from the village.

"There's a statutory process for disconnecting land from a municipality and the college would not be able to meet the standards set forth in the statute," Diamond said.

State law provides a lengthy list of provisions that would prevent incorporated property from de-annexing. Most of those provisions take into account infrastructure work done or planned with the subject land in mind.

Breuder estimated it would cost Glen Ellyn between $400,000 and $500,000 annually in utility fees and sales tax revenue if the college were allowed to de-annex. Because Wheaton has water and sewer connections nearby, Breuder didn't anticipate a high cost to switch to Wheaton.

Wheaton City Manager Don Rose said he had not heard anything about the college's plans to leave Glen Ellyn for Wheaton, but Breuder said he has made "informal overtures" to Wheaton Mayor Michael Gresk, who did did not return calls seeking comment.