Grafton Township Politics Frustrates Many Tax Payers

If Joe Kimpel wants to run for office in Grafton Township, he won over voters this week when he spoke out at the township’s annual town meeting.

“It is really disappointing to see how this meeting was held,” the Crystal Lake resident said. “All I want is for my money to be taken care of properly. If someone is wasting my money, shame on them. If someone is wasting tax dollars, stop it now.”

Kimpel, who served in the Air Force, got handshakes and a pat on the back from Grafton Township residents who also expressed frustration over how the township is being run and the bickering between the two factions in the government.

Grafton Township is paying an estimated $500,000 in legal fees between all the lawsuits that began over the township board’s attempt to build a new town hall building. I

The plans for the new building fell through resulting in the Road District owing the township property. The Road District and township have an intergovernmental agreement that outlines the repayment for the Vine Street property and “leases” out the building on the property to the township. The monthly “rent” pays the interest payments on the Road District’s loan.

The idea that taxpayers are paying rent on property they own didn’t make sense to many at Grafton’s town hall meeting Tuesday. But the situation will remain the same. The electorate made of those Grafton Township residents who attended and voted to ratify the intergovernmental agreement and its terms.

“As a new resident of Grafton Township, I am not sure whether to be appalled or amused,” Allen Zielinski said. “I see the amount of money we are talking bout. It comes out of everybody’s pocket. It doesn’t come out of the supervisor’s pocket. It doesn’t come out of trustees’ pockets. It comes out of all of our pockets.”

“Most of the tax dollars are going to lawyers and that is not a good thing,” said Karl R. Ottosen, who is representing Moore at Tuesday’s meeting.  He is not representing the township, which does not have an attorney because the township board and Moore cannot agree on one.

“This is your township. I would just appreciate you listen to both sides, vote and determine once and for all what you are doing with the property issues here,” Ottosen said.

Martin Waitzman of Crystal Lake attended his first meeting. He is an attorney and CPA. He said he’s never seen anything so outrageous as Grafton Township government. He urged the township to resolve the issues.

The issue has been resolved with Tuesday’s vote to ratify the intergovernmental agreement but Ottosen said after the meeting that the vote might not be legal since the intergovernmental agreement wasn’t legal. He said it sounds like an issue the courts may have to decide.

Residents also expressed concern over how regular township meetings are run, the township’s lack of an audit and a lack of faith in elected officials.

Bruce Augustine of Lake in the Hills felt the community was brought to Heineman Middle School in Algonquin for a special meeting before the township meeting Tuesday night under “false pretenses.” While the meeting was not published in local newspaper, he and others got a robo call at 4:30 p.m. about the special meeting.

“What else have we been mislead about?” Augustine said.

Peter J. Hoffmann of Crystal Lake had the solution to Grafton Township’s problems.

“Eliminate township government,” he said.