Vote NO - Keep Home Rule in Batavia Illinois

11/07/2018

We won!

11/06/2018

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1933966203324367&id=170613529659652

10/20/2018

https://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20181020/endorsement-no-to-end-batavia-home-rule

The Daily Herald recommends voters reject a move to end home rule in Batavia.

10/07/2018

Comparing property tax increases under home rule over the past nine years and the maximum allowed without home rule, gives a difference of $83,414. We even went down some years.

The minimum guaranteed lost without home rule is $1,900,000. 22 times as much.

09/25/2018

IMPACT OF LOSING HOME RULE AND THE CRIME FREE HOUSING PROGRAM

Losing home rule would mean we lose the “Crime Free Housing” program (passed in 2011), which has been very successful, increased the quality of life for tenents of apartment buildings, and is only allowed under Home Rule and cannot be bought back by referendum in its current form.

Regarding “Calls for Police Service” at the nine apartment properties which are currently in scope for the crime free housing program, we saw the following reduction.

2012 – 916
2013 – 827
2014 – 802
2015 – 728
2016 – 659
2017 – 639
2018 – 356 (EOY projection of 615)

40% reduction in calls for police service for properties in scope of the program.

Related Link (Page 7): https://www.cityofbatavia.net/DocumentCenter/View/3141/BPD-2017-Annual-Report?bidId=

09/24/2018

IMPACT TO CITY REVENUE IF WE LOSE HOME RULE

Batavia currently collects $5.2M in revenues derived from home rule sources such as home rule sales taxes and gas and liquor taxes. These revenues are derived from both residents and other patrons from outside the City. This represents 19% of City revenues. If the City loses these home rule revenues the City would need to raise real property taxes to continue to fund existing services and/or make cuts to personnel and/or discontinue some existing services.

A future successful referendum could restore the sales tax portion as a non-home rule sales tax. If it was put on in April it could be implemented in July if approved. The City would lose $1.9 million for the time period it did not have the sales tax. $1.9 million is significant even if it is the only sales tax that is lost. That is assuming that the referendum would pass. The City cannot count on the hope that it would pass and would need to plan accordingly – with a plan for losing $1.9 million once and a plan for losing the full $3.8 million each year.

The gasoline tax would be permanently lost as well as the gas use tax. Those two taxes total $940,000 that would be an annual loss. The liquor tax would be lost but the City could choose to implement a places for eating tax which can be highly unpopular because now the tax is being charged to all those eating out not just to those consuming liquor. That amount is $370,00. It is unknown how much the places for eating tax would need to be in order to replace the lost revenue. The City Council would need to consider the places for eating tax carefully. The gas tax supports road repaving. The sales, liquor and natural gas taxes support fire, ambulance, police and street maintenance (snow removal) services.

09/23/2018

Pledge to keep Home Rule in Batavia: Vote No! Invite your friends to join our group and like this page to stay informed.

09/16/2018

What is home rule?

• Home rule municipalities “may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs including, but not limited to, the power to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety, morals and welfare; to license; to tax; and to incur debt” without specific statutory authority. ILL. CONST. art VII § 6(a).

• Having home rule authority results in shifting decision making from the state level to the local level and gives local authorities flexibility to tailor decisions to address local concerns.

• A municipality can become a home rule unit of government in one of two ways. First, municipalities with certified populations over 25,000 are automatically granted Home Rule status. Otherwise, communities under this population threshold, can place a referendum question on a ballot and let the voters decide. Batavia became a Home Rule community in 2009 after a census concluded that the population exceeded 25,000.

• St. Charles, Naperville, Oswego, Aurora, Carpentersville, DeKalb, Sycamore, Bloomingdale, Bartlett, Downers Grove, Carol Stream, Bolingbrook, Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, East Dundee, Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Lake in the Hills, Mount Prospect, Mundelein, Darien, Addison, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Niles, Oakbrook Terrace, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Rosemont, Skokie, Streamwood, Tinley Park, Warrenville, West Chicago, Wheaton, West Dundee, Wheeling, Woodridge, Joliet, Plainfield, and Shorewood are all Home Rule communities (plus there are more).

09/16/2018