Home Rule Gets Vote of Support from Clarendon Hills Committee

Ten of 12 members of the Home Rule Research Committee said Tuesday night they think the attainment of home rule is an appropriate option for the village at this time.

The volunteer body casted its first on-the-record votes at the Tuesday after three meetings over the summer, during which home rule was introduced and discussed. The group’s Aug. 24 meeting featured , a home-rule community.

The committee also voted yes or no on four other questions regarding home rule, mostly regarding the village’s ability to affect local revenues.

The following votes were supplied to Patch by Clarendon Hills village manager Randy Recklaus:

• The attainment of Home Rule Status is appropriate for the Village of Clarendon Hills at this time: 10 Yes, 2 No.
• Home Rule Status should be utilized to affect an increase in the Village’s Property Tax rate beyond the authority allowed Non-Home Rule Municipalities: 9 Yes, 3 No.
• Home Rule Status should be utilized to affect increases in other revenues, as determined by the current and future Village Board, to offset increases in property taxes: 11 Yes, 1 No.
• The Village Board should utilize non-financial Home Rule powers as they deem appropriate and necessary: 9 Yes, 2 No, 1 Abstention. 
• If a Home Rule Referendum is attempted, and failed, the Village should pursue an increase in property taxes by referendum: 11 Yes, 1 Abstention.

Recklaus said in an email that village staff is compiling a report that reflects the results of the committee’s process. The group will reconvene Sept. 27 to approve the staff’s report, which would then go to the Village Board for consideration.

According to the Illinois Constitution, any municipality with a population of 25,000 is automatically a home rule municipality.

“Other municipalities may elect by referendum to become home rule units,” Article VII, Section 6 of the Constitution reads. “ … a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs including, but not limited to, the power to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety, morals and welfare; to license; to tax; and to incur debt.”

According to Recklaus, the village is bringing forward the idea of home rule—which allows municipalities to exercise powers outside those set in the state's constitution—to "identify additional revenue sources."

"In our budget discussion this year, [village staff] showed the village board we had this problem with revenues and expenditures crossing and our reserves running out over the next few years," Recklaus said after the committee's July 7 meeting.

Among the economic tools the village could employ with home rule status, according to finance director Peg Hartnett, are a sales tax increase and food-and-beverage tax increase, a demolition tax on developers, a real estate transfer tax, and a road improvements advantage that would bypass costly establishments of special service areas.

The tools could potentially help the village keep its general fund above the required 40-percent-of-expenditures line.

If annual village revenues stayed flat, according to village documents provided to the committee Thursday, the general fund would fall below 40 percent funded at the end of 2014 and would be -103 percent funded ($10,000,000 in the red) by 2020. 

Because it's important for the community to understand home rule, the village manager thought it important to get the input of a volunteer public committee that includes a "cross-section" of Clarendon Hills.

Recklaus has said the plan is for the village board and community to have a discussion on the topic during the fall. A board vote could come later in the fall to approve a referendum that would be put to a public vote in March 2012.