Roselle residents to vote in spring on home rule

The village of Roselle has put the issue of home rule on the ballot ­ - for next year - and will move ahead on regulating short-term home rentals through other means.

Village officials agreed Monday to put a question about home rule on the April 6 ballot rather than propose the measure in the Nov. 3 election. Trustees David Pileski and Wayne Domke had argued home rule would give the village more power to regulate short-term rentals in the wake of a shooting June 27.

Mayor Andy Maglio said his staff will be working with the village board to review an amendment to the village's zoning ordinance to address short-term rental regulations.

A shooting in a house near the corner of Roselle and Picton roads killed one man and injured at least four others. No one has been charged, and the investigation is still ongoing, authorities say. Sixty shots were fired at the house, which had been rented for a party, authorities said.

A home-rule referendum was argued back and forth between trustees, with some saying there's not enough time to explain it to voters by the Nov. 3 election. Roselle's population is not large enough for it to be granted automatic home-rule status, which gives towns more options for governing and for raising funds, including through taxes and fees.

"I want to make sure we have all these things discussed before we put it on the ballot so that we are prepared to be transparent to the residents so that they can make an educated decision on home rule," Trustee Patrick Devitt said.

Domke and Pileski favored a Nov. 3 referendum but agreed to the April date. Trustee Lee Trejo was the lone dissenter, preferring the November date.

"We're in a new era of e-commerce, and our police are at a distinct disadvantage," Domke said. "I don't think that this is more government and I think it's a misstatement to say that. Home rule has been approved and kept in villages 87% of the time."