Is Home Rule for Rochelle?
Question answered Sept 27
ROCHELLE
--- The League of Women Voters of
the Rochelle Area has just completed a one year study of the Home Rule form of
city government at the request of the City of
An
explanation of Home Rule and the ways by which Rochelle could benefit will be
offered in city council chambers at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 27. Joining the
League study committee for the evening will be Assistant Sycamore City Manager
Brian Gregory, and Sycamore City Attorney Keith Foster. The City of
Rochelle
currently operates under the council-manager form of government over which
Dillon’s Rule prevails. Dillon’s Rule confines a city to implementing
regulations and laws only as they appear in the Illinois Revised Statutes. Home
Rule is a tool created in the 1970 Illinois Constitution to provide cities with
local control over local destiny. Home Rule cities govern at a different
level than that permitted to non-home rule (or Dillon’s Rule)
communities. Home rule gives a community two additional
options: First, it permits local governments to provide greater regulatory
functions. Secondly, it provides greater ability to manage financing and
economic development incentives and negotiations. In
Rochelle is a community with many unique assets, including:
--location
near four highways
--at the crossroads of two rail lines
--owner,
operator of City Rail line
--near
UPS air service
--within
a technology triangle
--owner,
operator of its own utility
--has
potential for significant growth
Home
Rule communities have greater flexibility in dealing with all growth and
development factors.
Currently
if the Rochelle City Council identifies a dilemma or challenge, the answer can
only found within the Illinois State Statutes. If there is no solution in
the statutes, the issue cannot be addressed without a legislative change in
Council size good example
A relevant example is Rochelle’s change from a five to seven-member city
council. Illinois State Statutes mandated the city manager form of
government with a population under 25,000 have a 5-member city council. A
five-member council cannot function effectively and be in compliance with the
Open Meeting Act. The solution to Rochelle’s dilemma was for State Rep. Bob
Pritchard to introduce legislation on Rochelle’s behalf to change the Illinois
State Statutes allowing for the expansion of the council. “We were
fortunate that the atmosphere in
To learn other ways in which Home Rule might be applied in the city of