Home rule question in Lake Zurich soundly defeated

As they did in 1998, Lake Zurich voters on Tuesday soundly defeated a measure that would have given the community home rule designation.

With all 13 precincts reporting, unofficial totals showed the question failing 4,641 to 1,637. Late-arriving votes by mail and provisional ballots were not included in the tallies.

The lack of support means the village of 19,631 will not have the same powers as a town with a population of 25,000 or more to implement various taxes or fees as a way to raise money.

During public sessions, officials did not specify what revenue source would be sought or what it would be used for, which opponents described as a blank-check approach. That was a factor in organized opposition from the Mainstreet Organization of Realtors and others.

"It was not a referendum on the board or administration. It was a question of risks versus rewards," said Jim Tarbet, a village activist.

"With both the economy and the stream of various increases in recent years, residents are reluctant to yield to the convenience of government."

Village leaders said that a home rule designation would give them more flexibility in dealing with a variety of issues, such as aging equipment, deteriorating streets or the multimillion dollar program to remove and replace trees affected by the emerald ash borer.

Mayor Tom Poynton said uncertainty about future actions and the blank-check perception were stumbling blocks, but the village will carry on.

"This would have been another tool in our financial arsenal," he said. "Our budgets aren't based on whether we have home rule or not."