Illinois communities automatically receive Home Rule powers when their populations reach 25,000. Mt. Vernon is not one of them because it’s too small (about Sycamore-sized). The city’s residents had to vote for Home Rule, and they reportedly did it in order to finance a sewer project in the 80s.

So what’s the problem? According to one of the current petitioners, Steven Casper, Sr., Mt. Vernon approved Home Rule without understanding the residents would lose their power to vote on tax increases.

Casper and three other Mt. Vernon residents organized a petition, which collected 1,031 signatures from registered voters, to revoke the home rule.

“I don’t know why somebody did not do this before now,” he said. “[We] just don’t like the idea the city has the ultimate power to raise taxes for whatever they want, whenever they want.”

The group only needed about 365 signatures, Casper says.

Supposedly the city council will vet the petition before it can go on the November ballot. This does not sound right to me. The council had its chance to put the question on the ballot themselves. Since they did not — this is the reason folks had to collect signatures — my understanding is that the city clerk should certify the petition for placement of the question on the ballot unless the petition is challenged by one or more individuals. And challenges are adjudicated by election panels, not city councils.

I hope the Mt. Vernon group has competent legal counsel.