Question on Palatine Twp. ballot: Want to secede?

At least Palatine Township residents will see a question on their April ballot asking if they want to secede from Cook County.

It's one of a pair of referendums other townships are quietly considering that gauge voters' satisfaction with Cook County government. The second asks if the county should continue to collect last year's 1 percentage point sales-tax hike.

Both are nonbinding, advisory questions.

The secession referendum is making its way through local township boards courtesy of Palatine village officials. On Monday night, the Palatine Township board voted in favor of placing it on the ballot after hearing village council member Scott Lamerand make his case.

The village has had a contentious relationship with the county since last year's much-hyped visit by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger to Harper College in Palatine. Stroger canceled his first scheduled visit, saying he feared village officials wanted to ambush him. Officials still weren't happy with his visit, and Palatine wants to know if secession is feasible.

"This isn't a political issue between myself and Todd Stroger; this is simply we're not getting services and we don't see the foresight from Cook County," Lamerand said. "We have trouble with that; it's not a 'he's doing a terrible job' thing and 'I have all the answers' thing."

Stroger has been accused of ignoring the suburbs, though earlier this month he did appear in Bartlett to talk about a possible land deal with the Cook County Forest Preserve involving land belonging to county Commissioner Tim Schneider.

Lamerand said officials from Barrington and Schaumburg townships will also be reviewing the referendum. Going through the townships allows officials to poll a greater number of residents, compared to going town by town, Lamerand said. He's less hopeful Elk Grove and Hanover townships will approve placing the referendum on its ballots.

Lamerand repeatedly called seceding a "great undertaking," as setting up a new county would mean ensuring all services that the county provides - such as health and highways - are covered. If enough voters support secession, officials would still need to collect signatures to place a binding referendum on the ballot. If that referendum was approved, the question would go to the entire county for approval.

Though secession isn't a new idea, Palatine Township Supervisor Linda Fleming said this is the first time she could remember the matter reaching the ballot, even as a nonbinding question.

The name "Lincoln County" has been proposed. State Sen. Matt Murphy last year even suggested the county be named after President Reagan, a native of Tampico, Ill., near Moline.

Murphy was one of five members of the state legislature who signed a letter sent to the township supervisors about the sales-tax referendum. The bipartisan group also includes state senators Dan Kotowski and John Millner, as well as state representatives Suzanne Bassi and Fred Crespo.