Burr Ridge Faces 'Nemesis,' Needs Home Rule Powers: Mayor

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge should ask voters for home rule powers, helping the village deal with its "nemesis," the mayor said Monday.

"It gives us much more flexibility in how we run our village," Mayor Gary Grasso told the Village Board. "Springfield continues to be the nemesis, not the friend."

In March 2020, just as the pandemic was setting in, nearly 70 percent of Burr Ridge voters rejected home rule

At the time, Grasso contended that the board wanted home rule to gain more flexibility in how it spent the hotel tax.

Under home rule, he said, Burr Ridge could allocate much of the hotel tax, then about $600,000 to $700,000 a year, to quickly escalating police pensions.

Before the election, the board approved an ordinance stating it would not use home rule authority to hike property taxes. Revoking the ordinance would require the support of four of the six trustees.

At the time, Grasso's rival, then-Trustee Zach Mottl, called the ordinance "paper handcuffs." He said home rule was a way to raise taxes.

Mottl, who lost re-election in 2021, and Trustee Anita Mital both voted against putting the measure on the ballot.

Shortly before the election, the issue became so contentious that participants in a meeting of home rule opponents shouted down Grasso when he attempted to argue for home rule.

At Monday's meeting, Grasso said most home-rule towns have lower property taxes and are a lot more conservative financially than their non-home-rule counterparts.

He said the village would need to educate residents about the benefits of home rule. But he warned a few would advance "bogeyman" arguments against it.

Grasso also said real estate agents, who regularly oppose home rule around the state, would likely enter the debate.

"We'll get some bell rung by some Realtors who just want to make this a cause célèbre for themselves, even if the information doesn't support their position," he said.

He said home rule is a long-term goal. None of the trustees commented.

Many area towns lack home rule. They include La Grange, Western Springs, Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills.

Others, such as Elmhurst, Darien and Willowbrook, hold such powers.