By Bob Bradley
Last month the City of Bloomington and the Town of Normal Councils approved a sales tax increase for their respective communities. The Councils did this using their home rule authority. Home rule allows municipalities to act without depending on a state law or regulation. This power was granted by the Illinois Constitution automatically to any municipality with a population over 25,000.
Due to the approved sales tax increase, a petition began to circulate in Bloomington calling for the elimination of home rule for the city. This was accompanied by an invitation to residents of Normal to start circulating a similar petition there. If the retention of home rule actually made it on the ballot, it would a critical mistake for voters not to retain this power for their communities.
Home rule was specifically included in the Illinois Constitution to give municipalities the power to act in dealing with local concerns where the state had not acted, was slow to act, or was unaware of the severity of a local concern. Home rule gives to municipalities the means to develop innovative remedies for their particular problems without having to wait for the General Assembly.
A systematic study of home rule in Illinois found that home rule is not used by government officials primarily as a method of raising more tax revenue. The study found that home rule is used frequently to promote economic development, improve public safety, reduce debt costs, and make favorable real estate deals. And the home rule power to tax was found to be most frequently used to transfer local tax burden from residents to non-residents of the community.
Perhaps most importantly the study found no support that local officials will enact new or higher taxes without regard for the wishes of voters.
However, the voters of Bloomington and Normal should remain vigilant about whether the funds generated from the sales tax increase are used in ways to benefit the communities. If funds are not used to support the programs and services that they were earmarked for or if the communities are not enhanced by the use of funds, then voters should use that information in casting their ballots in the next local election.
Bob Bradley is a professor emeritus from Illinois State University where he primarily taught law-related courses in the political science department for 30 years. He did a weekly-segment for WJBC on politics and law for more than a decade. He also co-hosted a live- radio show from the Democratic and Republican national conventions in 2008, and reported live from the 2012 Republican convention. Currently, he serves on several community boards, does volunteer work, enjoys golf and fishing, and likes landscaping and bird-watching. He is married to the love of his life, Reenie, and has one daughter, Erin.
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