Home rule defeated for fifth time in Prospect Heights

Prospect Heights voters rejected home rule powers for village officials for the fifth time in Tuesday's election.

With nine of 11 precincts counted, 2,051 people, 56 percent, voted no, while only 1,585 people, 44 percent, favored the proposition,

Mayor Nick Helmer said before the vote that the city's intention for home rule was to have the ability to redirect about $750,000 from its hotel tax and from the money it gets from licensing of video gambling toward flooding and drainage projects.

He said fear that the city will create a general property tax was the leading criticism of the four previous attempts since 2004.

Aldermen tried to address that concern last month by voting 4-0 to adhere to the stricter tax-cap limitation that governs non-home-rule communities, even if home-rule authority was granted by the referendum.

- Steve Zalusky