Service extension will be studied
November 01, 2002|By Bob Goldsborough, Special to the Tribune.
Warrenville officials have decided to hold off temporarily on the forced annexations of more than 80 homes in two unincorporated areas until they can study extending water and sewer service to all city areas that don’t have them.
The incorporations, which were scheduled to be completed in January, will be delayed about 90 days, said City Administrator John Coakley.
Residents in one of the two affected neighborhoods had requested a cost study for the eventual extension of water and sewer service, he said, so aldermen decided to postpone the annexations until a timetable and cost estimate could be provided residents.
The City Council “will probably move on the annexation action in the spring,” Coakley said. “The council still is committed to annexing those areas but wanted to give those residents the courtesy of that information. It also wants to determine when it would be cost-effective to extend water and sewer utilities not only to our remaining incorporated areas without utilities, but also to the unincorporated areas.”
The proposed annexations are for: the 45.5-acre, 65-home “island” neighborhood on both sides of Butterfield Road and just west of the Thornwilde subdivision; and the 45.1-acre, 16-home Cove Lane area at the northwest corner of Galusha Avenue and Herrick Road.
The annexations have been touted by aldermen as a way for Warrenville to improve its boundaries, boost revenues, increase the uniformity of local taxing districts and collect taxes from residents of unincorporated areas who benefit from some city services and roads.
Some of the affected residents don’t see it that way.
John Lewis, who lives in one of the enclaves, calls it “taxation without representation.” He said that his taxes will go up, but his neighborhood won’t receive city water, sewer or sidewalks as part of the annexation. He added that Winfield Township now does a commendable job of repairing his street and serving the residents of his unincorporated neighborhood.
“Our taxes are going to go up, we’re going to lose services that we currently have with the township and we have no say-so in it,” Lewis said. “They’re just going to say, `OK, folks, you’re in [the city], here’s your new tax bill, and like it or lump it.'”
Under state law, towns may forcibly annex areas smaller than 60 acres that either are surrounded by municipal boundaries or are encircled by a combination of community and forest preserve borders.
The “island” long has been surrounded by Warrenville, while the Cove Lane neighborhood is bordered by Warrenville and the Herrick Lake Forest Preserve.
Earlier this year some Cove Lane area residents inquired about combating Warrenville’s actions by voluntarily annexing to Wheaton, which could conceivably annex the area across the forest preserve, said Wheaton Assistant City Manager Mike Dzugan. But he said that Wheaton officials informally rejected the request because the neighborhood is too far from the rest of its service area.
Now, Cove Lane residents believe that once their neighborhood is forcibly annexed, they could petition the DuPage County Circuit Court to let them disconnect from Warrenville because they are on the city’s outskirts, said Cove Lane resident Keith Acker.
“We’re willing to talk about voluntary annexations, but if we’re force-annexed, we will attempt to disconnect from the city,” Acker said.
In July, Warrenville’s City Council tentatively agreed to proceed with the forced annexations. The council had been scheduled to take its first vote in October on a “resolution of intent” to annex the homes, with the final votes to be in January.