Home Rule Question to Go on March Ballot

The issue of home rule in Clarendon Hills will indeed be put to the people. 

The Village Board approved a consent agenda Monday night that included a resolution to place a binding question on the March ballot that will determine whether or not the village attains home rule.  

Village staff highlighted financial tools Clarendon Hills could utilize with home rule to improve its fiscal future during a community meeting at in October. Those tools include a new capital improvements tax to replace the current Special Service Area (SSA) system for road improvements, a one percent sales-tax increase, and a new demolition tax. 

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Village President Tom Karaba supports home rule.

"It gives us the best opportunity and a very important tool to plan for the future of the village," Karaba said.

Village manager Randy Recklaus said that if a majority of Clarendon Hills voters favor home rule in the spring, it would go into effect immediately. However, any new tools or taxes the village wants to pursue with home rule would have to go through the normal system and be publicly discussed and passed by village trustees. 

Between now and the March vote, there will be more opportunities for community education on home rule. Recklaus said the village's website will be updated with home rule information and mail-outs on the topic will go out.  

"In many ways, putting this on the ballot is just the beginning of the formal community conversation," Recklaus said.

Karaba said public education on the topic of home rule is very important. He said a lot of people who are at first skeptical of giving the village the opportunity to develop additional powers "come around" after getting more information on the topic.

"We have to get the message out and continue the educational process," Karaba said.

A Home Rule Research Committee, which included 10 members of the community with varying areas of expertise, met several times over the summer and determined that it was appropriate for the village to pursue the home rule binding question.