Huntley board approves home rule powers

Condemning abandoned houses and removing vicious dogs could get easier in Huntley after the village board voted Thursday to become a home rule community.

Thursday's vote formalized what was inevitable after Huntley's partial census last year showed the village had more than 25,000 residents.

Home rule status, which can be achieved by popular vote or when a town exceeds 25,000 citizens, gives towns greater taxing and regulatory powers.

In particular, Huntley can now impose additional sales taxes, and property tax increases are not capped by the rate of inflation, village officials said.

But officials say they have no intention of raising taxes in the immediate future.

The board may act in the near future, however, to enact new ordinances that give the village greater control over code enforcement and licenses.

"I would like to have a list of the kinds of ordinances we would like to consider to service our residents more expediently," Trustee Harry Leopold said Thursday.

Trustee Pam Fender said home rule could enable the village to recoup the cost of cleaning up a blighted property or to impose a licensing fee for video gambling machines. The board has not yet set regulations for the machines.

The village board opted in 2007 to wait for the next census rather than asking voters to approve home rule - an uncertain proposition given the potential for higher taxes and stricter regulations.

A law recently signed by Gov. Pat Quinn enabled Huntley to attain home rule status more quickly by requiring the state to recognize the village's 2008 census instead of forcing Huntley to wait until the next full census in 2010.