After months of intense negotiations, the Kane County Board approved its decennial reapportionment map with all 24 county board members voting in favor of it

Last Tuesday, November 30, the Kane County Board approved the new map for county board districts for the next 10 years.

The board approved the new map unanimously.

Each board district was impacted, and many Kane County residents will find themselves being represented by a different board member.

The Kane County Board maintained its 24 single-member district configuration, with the board chair elected at-large by the voters in presidential election years.

All 24 board members will face election with the new map for their respective districts. A drawing will be held at the next full county board meeting to determine the lengths of each district’s terms.

For the past 30 years, even-numbered districts have elected their board members during presidential years, and odd-numbered districts electing their board members during mid-terms.

For election years ending with a “2”, all districts face the voters.

The McHenry County-based villages of Algonquin and Huntley have significant population within Kane County.

The board district representing Huntley maintained its current board member, with all Huntley’s Kane County precincts remaining in District 9 (CB 09), currently represented by Tom Koppie (R, Rutland Township).

The board district representing Algonquin in Kane County, District 23, had tweaks made to its proposed district boundaries. CB 23 is currently represented by Chris Kious (D, Algonquin).

Prior to Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog (D, Batavia) formally presenting the proposed map at the November 9 full county board meeting, the recently annexed land south of Longmeadow Parkway and west of Randall Road was moved from CB 21 to CB23.

During November, the village of Algonquin formally annexed the land for the NorthPoint Development, LLC commercial development project.

The land will become a tax increment financing (TIF) district, qualified by the record of chronic flooding on the land.

The four ordinances formally creating the TIF are on the agenda for Tuesday night’s Algonquin Village Board meeting.

While the TIF ordinance drafted not to exceed 23 years, the Redevelopment Agreement for the TIF between the Village and NorthPoint Development, LLC is set to end in 17 years.

Therefore, the new TIF, assuming the Redevelopment Plan thoroughly executed, per the agreement to be approved Tuesday, will mean the TIF will end prior to its 23rd year.

Put another way, the TIF should end six years ahead of the normal 23-year life for a TIF.

Part of the Redevelopment Agreement will be to solve the chronic flooding for this land.

With the village of Algonquin, Kane County (Longmeadow Parkway, Randall and Huntley roads are county roads), and NorthPoint Development LLC implementing the Redevelopment Plan, the CB 23 Kane County Board member, under the addition of the NorthPoint TIF property, will have accountability to Algonquin residents of Kane County for the county’s execution of the TIF.

The other suggested change collected through public input after the presentation of the proposed Kane County map extended CB 23 to the west into Rutland Township in order to match the Village of Algonquin’s Future Land Use Plan in Kane County.

The portion of the Land Use Plan north of Huntley Road within the blue box above impacted moving 12 currently unincorporated residents from CB 21 into CB 23.

The amendment including the Public Comment input and Board Member changes to the map after November 9 was approved with an 18-6 vote of the County Board.

Once the amendment was approved, the final passage of the new map was unanimous.

Dundee Township Republican Precinct Committeeperson Linda Prestia of Carpentersville wasted no time staking out the support for two Republicans in two newly redrawn districts in Dundee Township. Prestia’s precinct was moved out of CB 23 into CB 21:

“I fully support the re-election of Cliff Surges for the remapped Kane District 21. He has been an engaged board member, who asks questions, offers proper and fair discernment of the issues presented to the board, and proactively advocates for the taxpayers of the county.

“He has my full endorsement.

“I will endorse active Algonquin community member Greg Buck for the redrawn District 23 board seat, which my precinct was previously included in.

“The current board member Chris Kious, who is seeking re-election for the remapped 23rd District, has publicly advocated for taxes!

“He wants tolls on Longmeadow.

“Kane county is one of only a few counties in this state that actually increased population (because of the mass exodus out of Cook County where folks flee crime and high taxes.).

“We need a fiscally responsible representative for the board to represent District 23 who will advocate for reform and not any more tax burdens or tolls on area residents, especially during this high inflationary time.

“Greg Buck will get my full support and endorsement in 2022.”

Linda Prestia, statement to McHenry County Blog 12/2/21

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The Daily Herald‘s article concerning the new Kane County Board map, which was also published by Shaw Media, can be viewed here. The full map can be viewed in the article, too.