The village’s Planning, Building and Zoning Committee this week postponed a decision on whether to forcibly annex land containing 48 houses and seven businesses north of Dundee Road and east of Hicks Road.
The proposed annexation essentially would slice in half the subdivision of Capri Village, where the houses are. Half of the subdivision’s residents would be in Palatine, and the other half would be residents of unincorporated Cook County.
Tom Pyziak, president of the Capri Village homeowners association, said most residents in Capri Village oppose annexation plans because of it could lead to higher property taxes and the fear of losing the rural nature of their neighborhood.
He said they also are concerned about safety, particularly because half of the residents would have 911 service, and the other half would need to dial a seven-digit number for emergency service. If someone in the community dialed the wrong number, time could be wasted during an emergency.
He asked village officials to delay their decision so he could poll the neighborhood’s residents to determine whether the entire 84-house subdivision wants to be voluntarily annexed into the village.
Other critics of the proposed annexation included representatives of the Palatine Rural Fire Protection District who accused the village of using the annexation plan as political retribution for the split between the rural district and the Palatine Fire Department last year.
Bill Huley, a trustee of the rural district’s board, accused village officials of trying to unseat the rural district’s board president, Paul Wickland, who lives in the area that would be forcibly annexed.