Endorsement: No to end Batavia home rule

Efforts to remove Batavia's home-rule powers have been around for some time, but they've gathered steam in the last two years.

Residents tired of high property taxes and questioning some city projects are campaigning on the notion that Batavia's aldermen and mayor cannot be trusted to spend taxpayer money wisely.

That, to us, is the key point, not home rule itself.

Since 1970, municipalities of 25,000 people or more are given home-rule powers - additional leeway to tax, take on debt and regulate things beyond what the state specifically lays out to smaller communities. The home-rule provision in the state constitution is a concession that gives communities of that size the power to set their own course and innovations.

It's incredibly rare for a community to cede its home rule powers.

Were this referendum effort to be successful, Batavia would have to roll back a slew of things it's been allowed to do only because of home rule. That would be disruptive and create an enormous hole in the budget. It's tantamount to throwing away the baby with the bath water.

There is a better way to change things without stripping the city council of its ability to innovate now and in the future. And that is to run candidates against the incumbents. But the community should not give up the flexibility that home rule can provide. Voters should reject this idea.