Wednesday, January 7, 2009 9:28 PM CST
Home rule option could go before voters in the fall
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
rstroud@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON — Voters may get to cast ballots on whether or not they want home rule, but that vote will not be this spring.
When the April 7 municipal election is held, the ballot will not include a referendum on home rule.
The city’s Home Rule Ad-Hoc Committee earlier recommended that the city council consider taking the home rule question to voters. The committee recommended that public discussion be held prior to any home rule referendum but did not recommend a date for putting the referendum on the ballot.
Mayor John Inyart said the current council, with a tenure that is quickly drawing to a close, has opted to let the council that is seated after the April 7 election make the decision on if and when a home rule referendum should be pursued.
Inyart said the new council will include at least one new face because council member Lorelei Sims is not seeking re-election, and it could include more. Both the mayor and council member Jim Dunn are facing challengers in their bids for re-election.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea to let the new council members get involved in this. They are going to be the ones working with it,” said Pat Adair, vice chairman of the home rule committee.
The panel’s Sept. 2 recommendation fell too close to the Nov. 4 election for a home rule referendum to be ready by that time, Inyart said. Current council members decided it would be unfair to candidates in the April 7 election to have the referendum on the ballot at the same time, he said.
According to Inyart, the new council could take up discussion whenever it is ready on the possibility of holding a home rule referendum, possibly waiting until the city’s fall planning retreat.
“It warrants further discussion,” Inyart said.
Home rule would shift more financial and regulatory authority from the state to the city. To obtain this status, the city would need to win voter approval or Charleston’s population would need to reach 25,000. The new council’s consideration of home rule would occur as the 2010 U.S. Census approaches.
Economic development potential was a main factor cited by committee members as they recommended a home rule referendum. For example, the city could use its home rule status to offer property and sales tax rebates to try to recruit new businesses and help existing businesses to expand.
Concerns were voiced within the committee and from others about home rule giving the city too much regulatory and revenue-generating powers; including the concern that home rule could result in higher taxes. There was much debate about the pros and cons of establishing a rental housing inspection ordinance as well.
The committee, formed in February 2008, researched how other communities have used home rule and heard guest presentations, including from home rule researcher Jim Banovetz. He is a retired professor from Northern Illinois University.
Information provided by Banovetz on Wednesday reported that 191 cities and villages in Illinois have home rule, 121 by referendum and 70 by their population being greater than 25,000.
Examples of locations with home rule include Bloomington, Carbondale, Champaign, Danville, Decatur, DeKalb, Elgin, Evanston, Jacksonville, Marion, Mount Vernon, Normal, Rantoul, Springfield, Tuscola and Urbana.
Banovetz reported the question of whether home rule status should be abandoned has been on the ballot 31 times since 1976 in locations where home rule was challenged by citizen petition or the population fell below 25,000. Voters reportedly opted to abandon home rule in Lisle, Villa Park, Lombard and Rockford.
Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 348-5734.
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Mike P wrote on Jan 8, 2009 8:10 AM:
Property and sales tax sequestering, sweeps, and current abuses, are robbing the tax base blind. They want to be able to add rebates to the list. Find some other way to encourage development without saddling the tax base with making up the differences. Those tools should be reserved, for areas seeing sustaind growth, and operating under a budget surplus, from which they can conservatively use portions to further invest in encouraging specific additional development.
I hope Rob Stroud will still be allowed to do his Home Rule reports. Its important enough, to get folks in charge now on the record about. Its important enough, to get real available information to the public as long as its a possible city direction. Both sides need to be presented and issues for and against, discussed.
I would like a close look taken at the virtues and pitfalls of TIF in Illinois, as well. They are both chicago area inspired laws, and were structured with that in mind.
Get these important topics out in the open, perhaps some restraint of use, can be applied, in existing or implimented uses, and they can be made to be effectively and responsibly used, and that could be a win win for everyone. How candidates view both items, could be a big issue in this spring election. "