Prospect Heights may put home rule question on the ballot

The Prospect Heights City Council next month will vote on whether to ask residents for approval to become a home-rule community, which would give local government more taxing power to raise revenue.

The city tried to pass home rule in 2004 but failed by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio. In the vote, 1,104 residents voted "yes," while 2,156 residents voted "no."

Despite the defeat, it's time to try again, acting Mayor Pat Ludvigsen said. Times have changed with the city needing more money for projects like paving city streets. This time, the city will work harder at educating the residents about what home rule is, Ludvigsen said.

If the majority of the board votes "yes" at its next meeting, 7 p.m. July 8, two questions would be put on the November ballot:

No. 1: If the city of Prospect Heights becomes a home-rule city, shall the city council exercise home-rule power to use existing hotel taxes to rebuild city streets?

No. 2: Shall the city of Prospect Heights, located in Cook County, Illinois, become a home-rule unit?

The first question is advisory, but the second one is binding.

Ludvigsen said home-rule status would allow the city to use hotel taxes on important infrastructure projects like repairing streets.

Now by state law, non-home-rule communities must use taxes collected from hotels to promote tourism, so that money goes to the Prospect Heights Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Politically, the home-rule vote doesn't appear to be one of those hot-button issues that lead aldermen to lose their seats, said Alderman John Styler, who supports it.

Since the 2004 vote, there have been three new alderman elected, but none related to the home-rule issue, Styler said.

Alderman Bree Higgins took the seat of Darlene Ahlstedt after she decided not to run again. The other two, Luis Mendez and Robert P. McLoughlin, were voted out in favor of Dolly Vole and Richard Hamen, but Styler said he doesn't believe the home-rule vote was decisive.

Not everyone on the current council is in favor of home rule.

Vole said home rule could be used to further tax residents. Although this council might not use the power to impose taxes, future councils might do otherwise, she said.

Despite her opposition to home rule, she'll likely vote to ask residents about home rule to get voters' opinions.

But she would not support a vote on question No. 1 about using hotel taxes on roads, she said.

She called it a leading question, saying it makes residents think the money would be used that way, but it would be only advisory.

Boards and councils in towns with more than 25,000 residents can simply adopt home-rule authority. But towns under that size must get an OK from residents. Prospect Heights' population is about 17,000.