What is Home Rule?
Established by adoption of the 1970 Illinois Constitution, Home Rule shifts greater responsibility for local government decision making from the state level to the local level. Municipalities with a population of more than 25,000 are automatically Home Rule units, while those with less than 25,000 residents require approval of a referendum in order to achieve Home Rule status.

History of Home Rule Discussion by City Council
In November 2003 an independent Ad Hoc Finance Committee made up of residents with strong financial experience and expertise was established to conduct a thorough review of City finances. One of the recommendations the committee made to the City Council (in addition to continued expense discipline, forward-looking capital improvement budgeting and new revenue sources) was to consider adopting Home Rule status for The City of Lake Forest. This would give the City greater flexibility to respond to the changing needs of the community, as well as issues of greater local control.

The need to strengthen City finances on a long term basis led to special meetings of the City Council in May and June, 2004. It was the unanimous decision of the City Council at its June meeting that the City pursue Home Rule status. They further agreed that alternative revenue sources, including a Real Estate Transfer Tax, should be considered to fund on-going capital improvements. They also stressed the importance on on-going expense scrutiny and budget control.

On August 2, the City Council approved a resolution placing the question of Home Rule for Lake Forest on the November 2 ballot. In response to resident concerns, they also approved an ordinance stating that the City would abide by the tax cap legislation even though it would be legally exempt from doing so as a Home Rule community.

Affordable Housing Legislation
As there have been numerous articles in the Chicago Tribune, News Sun, and other publications, the following downloadable documents offer detail on the State of Illinois affordable housing legislation and information on its application to Home Rule municipalities.