Niles Amends Referendum Rules To Leave Room For Residents

NILES, IL — Voters in Niles approved two non-binding advisory questions placed on the ballot by village officials and one binding petition referendum amending future referendum procedure placed on the ballot by a resident. Under the binding change, village officials must leave a slot on the ballot open for referendums initiated by citizens up until 180 days of the election.

Of the two non-binding referendums placed on the ballot by village officials, the question of whether to work with schools to "enhance their ratings" was favored by the widest margin. The question of whether of "modernize" the Niles Historical Society and Cultural Center, at 8970 Milwaukee Ave., was by the closest of the three questions, separated by just over 1,053 votes in official results from the Cook County Clerk's Office.

The cultural center is a local landmark, one of the oldest municipal structures in Niles and one of the largest museums in northeastern Illinois, according to the village. It was formerly a Cook County Sheriff's Office station from 1923 to 1984. Village officials promised more details of the modernization plan would come later, Pioneer Press reported. The village suggested it first planned to "professionally evaluate the Niles Historical Society and Cultural Center for the best use of the building in order to tell a positive story and its history to enhance the experience of visitors."

In order to improve property values and the overall village economy, village officials are also looking to retain a marketing firm to work on behalf of local school districts, Mayor Andrew Przybylo told the Niles Journal.

Only three referendums can be placed on the ballot per election per taxing body, with some exceptions as provided in state election law. They must also be filed within a year of an election, or 15 months in the case of a "back door referendum" to reject something a public body has already done.

Village officials attempted to to place a third advisory referendum on the November 2018 ballot regarding a multi-purpose community center when the when they voted for six advisory referendums at once in June 2017, according to the Niles Journal, despite the statutory limit of 12 months.

Upon the opening of the legal window for filing in November 2017, resident Joe Makula managed to file petitions for his referendum-restricting referendum. Makula has accused village officials of filling the ballot to the three-question limit to deny citizen-initiated referendums, according to the Journal, a claim the mayor has strongly denied.

The change to referendum procedures is effective March 1, 2019, in time to have an impact on the March 2020 presidential primary ballot.

Unofficial results from the Cook County Clerk:

Shall the Village of Niles Community Development Department continue to work with local school districts to enhance their ratings?
Yes: 84 percent – 7,104 votes
No: 16 percent –1,368 votes

Shall the Village of Niles modernize the Niles Historical Society and Cultural Center located at 8970 N. Milwaukee?
Yes: 56 percent – 4,716 votes
No: 44 percent – 3,663 votes

Shall the procedure for placing Referenda on the Village of Niles ballot, follow Illinois Election Law, except that if the Niles Mayor and Board of Trustees initiates or submits more than one referendum for any Ballot, additional referendums initiated or submitted by the Niles Mayor and Board of Trustees for that same Ballot must not be initiated or submitted more than 180 days prior to the election these Referenda are to be on the Ballot, effective March 1, 2019?
Yes: 77.5 percent – 6,116 votes
No: 22.5 percent – 1,774 votes