When last we left our Mt. Vernon heroes, they had just presented a petition to have the question of revoking Home Rule put on the ballot in November. I was a little alarmed that the Mt. Vernon city council had planned to vet the petition. In DeKalb this would probably constitute the kiss of death,…
Tag: home rule
A Few Words About Video Gambling
The city council of DeKalb approved first reading last night of an ordinance that would overturn a ban on gambling devices to allow video gaming with payouts. Also, in a daring use of Home Rule authority, it has decided to consider allowing the machines in an establishment where kids hang out. Come August 27, probable…
Read the Rosemont Story if You Can
Today the Chicago-Tribune published an investigative report about Rosemont and the family that runs it. It’s a story about how the Stephens family has amassed riches and tremendous political clout. Most of all, however, it is a story about Home Rule. Illinois Home Rule allows: unlimited borrowing the option to forgo competitive bidding on contracts…
Home Rule and the Real Estate Transfer Tax
**Updated July 31 at end of post.** Believe it or not, there’s at least one limit to Illinois Home Rule! Here’s a post from the blog of the Illinois Association of Realtors: I was discussing a transaction in the home rule community of West Frankfort. “My client was surprised to learn at closing she had…
Rochelle Can Do It. Why Can’t We?
Of course I’m talking about the grand opening of the Nippon Sharyo railcar manufacturing plant and the potential birth of a supply chain cluster. And they don’t even have Home Rule! Let’s treat this as an open thread.
Mt. Vernon Group Presents Petition to Revoke Home Rule
Illinois communities automatically receive Home Rule powers when their populations reach 25,000. Mt. Vernon is not one of them because it’s too small (about Sycamore-sized). The city’s residents had to vote for Home Rule, and they reportedly did it in order to finance a sewer project in the 80s. So what’s the problem? According to…
Belvidere Using New Home Rule Status to Push for Landlord Registration
Boone County Watchdog has published a proposed ordinance addressing registration of landlords of residential rentals in Belvidere. Landlords and rental properties would be registered annually at $25 per unit under the proposal. In comparison, DeKalb has a one-time registration of landlords and rental properties with a fee of $3 per unit, and from there it…
A Look at City of DeKalb Debt
As a Home Rule community, DeKalb has no state-imposed legal limit on its indebtedness. Non-Home-Rule municipalities (at least those under 500,000 population) do have a limit. It’s 8.625%* of the taxable value of the properties within their boundaries, and they must report compliance with the limit by computing Legal Debt Margins for their Comprehensive Annual…
My Views on Home Rule
Since it appears the issue of Home Rule could easily be revived in DeKalb, I’m going to indulge myself by setting straight my position on it. For those of you who don’t know: I ran for mayor of DeKalb in 2009, and from all indications was generally known to oppose Home Rule. This belief was…
Vindication
From the 1973 Assembly on Home Rule in Illinois (my emphasis): Municipal home rule referenda are dependent on implementing legislation as well as on constitutional authorization. Section 28-4 of the Election Code (“Referendums required by Constitution in respect to units of local government”)* sets forth the requirements for all referenda authorized by the local government…