CHAMPAIGN – A hard-line negotiating stance by Champaign Township officials is threatening to shut down the long-planned, $11 million Curtis Road project.

Township officials are withholding approval for improving a three-quarter-mile stretch of Curtis Road between Prospect and Mattis avenues unless they get concessions from the city of Champaign on annexation policy or future city boundary lines.

Champaign, Savoy and Champaign County officials, who are partners in the road project along with the state, call the strategy "inappropriate." And they warn that the project might have to be shut down in four to six weeks if the dispute isn't resolved.

"It's blackmail," charged Champaign Mayor Jerry Schweighart. "There's no good reason for them to be doing what they're doing."

But Champaign Township Supervisor John Schmidt makes no apologies.

"They forgot it wasn't their road," he said. "That's the bottom line."

The dispute involves a stretch of Curtis Road from Prospect Avenue to one-quarter mile east of Mattis Avenue that is under Champaign Township's jurisdiction. Champaign Township is a rural township to the south and west of the city.

Township Highway Commissioner Keith Padgett has declined to sign a one-page state document that would transfer control of the oil-and-chip road to Savoy. Champaign is seeking a transfer for a small section of Mattis Avenue north of Curtis Road that is slated for improvement.

City officials this week offered to let the township become a party to the road-improvement project, at no cost to the township. That would have let the township retain jurisdiction on its sections of Curtis Road after they're improved. But Padgett rejected that offer as well.

The Illinois Department of Transportation recently told local officials not to perform any improvements on the township-controlled portions of Curtis Road without the township's approval.

The project calls for widening Curtis Road to four and five lanes between Wesley Avenue in Savoy and Wynstone Drive in Champaign. It is expected to take two years, with this year's work occurring between Wesley and Mattis avenues.

Stark Excavating Inc. of Bloomington began working last month on Curtis Road between Wesley and Prospect avenues, where Savoy has jurisdiction.

But the company will likely run out of work if the Prospect to Mattis portion is still off limits, according to Savoy Village Manager Dick Helton.

"The longer this goes on, we get into a situation where the contractor can't do any more," Helton said. "Then we're talking about costs escalating because the contractor has to shut down."

The Curtis Road project has been going on for years, with completion of a $13 million interchange on Interstate 57 last year. Champaign and the county also improved Curtis Road between Duncan Road and Wynstone Drive last year at a cost of $5 million – a portion of road where Champaign Township also had jurisdiction, but didn't object.

Helton said the first indication that Champaign Township officials were unhappy came at a public informational meeting last month, five days before work was to begin, when Padgett, the township highway commissioner, raised objections.

"All of a sudden the township says 'We didn't know this was going on?'" said Helton. "I find that preposterous."

Schmidt responds that "we don't sit and watch what Champaign and Savoy's projects are," and that Savoy should annex properties adjoining Curtis Road if it wants jurisdiction.

Schweighart said city and Savoy officials are actively exploring that option. "We hope we can work around them," the mayor said.

But Schmidt said he views the stalemate as an excellent opportunity to resolve long-simmering annexation issues between the city and Champaign Township. He said the township's tax base shrinks whenever Champaign annexes property, because the annexation also disconnects the property from Champaign Township and switches it to City of Champaign Township.

Champaign Township has successfully fought nearly 800 annexations in recent years by holding so-called disconnection referendums. That's where voters in Champaign Township and the properties being annexed get to vote on whether the properties should become a part of City of Champaign Township.

Schmidt said he would like to see a legal agreement reached where if the city annexes a township property, it would remain in Champaign Township.

"We need to sit down and talk," Schmidt said. "We're trying to have our township get some benefit from all the economic growth in the community."

Schmidt said the township would also like to see Champaign and Savoy extend their boundary-line agreement from Interstate 57, where it currently ends, further west to Barker Road, where the township ends.

The agreement shows the future growth areas of the village and city. From Mattis Avenue to I-57, the line runs about a half mile south of Curtis Road.

Champaign Township benefits when Savoy annexes a property, as opposed to Champaign, because the property remains in Champaign Township.

But Savoy and Champaign officials say they'll negotiate any future boundary agreement themselves, without the help of Champaign Township.

"We're involved in discussions with the city to extend the boundary and the township isn't included," Helton said. "It's not a subject that should be on the table."

Schmidt said the township's board will discuss the issue at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the township building at 3900 Kearns Drive, C.