The Huntley Farmside

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The IIiiiifle¥ Fannside
Thursday, April 8,1999
A Press Publications newspaper ar serving the Huntley community
Volume 38 Issue 52
3 incumbents, 2 newcomers seek 2 spots on Board
Steve Brosinski
Press Publications
The issues of the five candi¬ dates running for the two open seats on the Huntley \^llage Board are grounded in one five- letter word.
How best to manage, speed up or slow down "growth" is the focus of the campaigns of the tlu-ee incumbents and two others seeking seats on the lx)ard. The terms run four years.
The candidates running in the April 13 election are Trustees Susan Lamb, Susan Paulsen and Charlie Becker and residents Jack Todd and Dennis Shamhart, who both served on the board previously.
Becker, a retired glazier who has served on the board since he moved to Huntley in 1987, wants the village to take a stronger stand in controlling development.
'There is no reason to hurry. Now is the time when Huntley can sit back and take it easy for a minute and catch a breath," said Becker about the flurry of developers rushing to build houses in town.
Secondly, Becker said he is concerned that the village has prepared the groundwork for the massive infrastructure that will be required to meet the needs of a community of more than 20,000.
"When this farmland is sold, then the developer will know they have to provide a right of way for roads and se^x^rs," he said.
Paulsen and Lamb, both elected in 1995, said the board is like-minded and has plenty of unfinished business to accom¬ plish.
"In the last two years the board has worked well togeth¬ er," said Paulsen, a homemaker. "We are working on space needs, the comprehensive plan and updating the land-use analy¬ sis."
Lamb, who works at a local fast-food restaurant, said, "I ttiink we've done a really good job controlling growth."
But the two non-incumbents are opposed to the village administration's stand on granti¬ ng special service areas to developers. Todd, who lost in 1997 by a handful of votes, would deny future SSAs, tax incentives and tax increment districts.
"I'm against giving SSAs and tax rebates. If they want to build in Huntley, then they should build treatment plants and water towers," said Todd, who voted against the first sales-tax incen¬ tive for Tom Peck Ford.
The board recently approved four more tax incentives to Prime Group, which plans to build several more car dealer¬ ships at the Huntley Auto Mall. Many conununities are using tax rebates to attract dealerships because of the lucrative sales tax revenue they provide.
Similarly, Shamhart, an owner of local flooring busi¬ ness, said developers are using
see Board—page 2
students' science fair project qualifies for state
Tracey Bien (left) and Vanessa Lynn show the certificates they received for their science fair project, which qualified for state competition. Their absorbency project placed 14th out of 437 projects and received a score of 104, out of a possible 105. The eighth-graders fmm Huntley Middle School will trav¬ el to Champaign-Urbana on May 7 and 8 to compete with other students from around the state.
Fire District race heats up in Hnal days before election
Steve Brosinski
Press Publications When voters go to the polls to decide on two Huntley Fire Dis¬ trict referendums requesting an increase in tax rates, they will also cast ballots on who will represent them on the board of trustees.
Incumbents Jerry Lynn Walk¬ er and Tom Manning are run¬ ning against newcomers Dawn Ellison, Bob Kunde and Stan Boncosky in the April 13 elec¬ tion. Terms run six years.
Although there are two seats being contested, an additional
seat will be vacant. It has yet to be determined whether that seat will be filled by the third place finisher or someone appointed by the b»oard.
Of the five candidates, only Boncosky has said the full amount of the referendums is unnecessary. If passed, the ref¬ erendums would provide an additional $610,000 to the dis¬ trict's current $764,000 annual budget.
Boncosky, a retired Elgin firefighter and six-year resident of the Huntley area, criticized the district for waiting until now
to demand higher developer fees from neighboring towns. He said the district should build one new station instead of two.
'They need help because they are in a mess. The past boards never assessed Lake in the Hills right," Boncosky said. "Now they are stuck with trying to find money for two fire stations and I don't know how they are going to raise this kind of money."
Walker, on the other hand, defended the board's actions. She said trustees are aware of the problems and are now trying
see Race—page 2
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