Geneva needs a new police facility, as the current one leaks and has a vermin infestation, a City Council member said at Committee of the Whole Monday night.

Council members did not talk about an amount, or a ballot date, or take a vote. But for about an hour, they discussed the need, how to go about it and what to do about a second referendum on becoming home rule.

Relying on projects presented in the Facilities Master Plan, which was adopted in July and included a City Hall renovation, council members agreed that a new police station is at the top of the list.

The proposed draft of the question asks if the city should improve its public safety facilities, “and the sites thereof including, but not limited to, constructing an equipping a new police station, and issue its general obligation bonds to the amount of $XXXX for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?”

The other proposed question asks if Geneva should become home rule.

A municipality with home rule status can exercise power and perform functions, unless state law specifically prohibits them. By contrast, a non-home rule municipality only has powers that state law expressly provides. The Illinois Municipal League lists 217 home rule communities in the state.

“Our options that we are looking at now – a bond referendum and a home rule referendum,” City Administrator Alex Vogt said.

While the public safety referendum would be for a new police station, any funds left over could also be used for other public safety needs in the Facilities Master Plan, Vogt said. The plan also lists needs in the city’s two fire stations.

First Ward Alderperson Anaïs Bowring said she thought it would be a mistake to have two questions on the same ballot – and possibly another mistake to go for a bond referendum on the March 17, 2026 primary ballot and a home rule question on the Nov. 3, 2026 general election ballot.

“I don’t like having vermin and water works in our police station. I would be open to consider having that [home rule] on the ballot in November. I guess I’m inclined to think that if we got one ballot initiative passed, the idea that we would in the next election [get another measure] passed, seems more uncertain,” Bowring said. “But I think also then it will wind up potentially confusing: ‘What happens if I vote yes, yes? What happens if I vote no, no?’ I think it opens up too many options for us to wind up with no path forward.”

Still, Bowring said she was open to be convinced.

Third Ward Alderperson Larry Furnish recalled the city’s need to pull the police facility referendum from the ballot earlier this year, because of a calculation error.

“We don’t want to put this off another year,” Furnish said. “In my neighborhood – I probably talk to 20 people. They are positive about the bond referendum. The home rule referendum would be great to get it, but it’s going to be a long shot.”

Fourth Ward Alderperson Amy Mayer said the entire Council supports a referendum for a new police station – but not necessarily for home rule.

“I think that the citizens of Geneva expect us to be able to act in ways that are enabled by home rule,” Mayer said.

“I wonder if it’s worth going through the exercise and bringing it forward with a list of pros and cons ... but we don’t have any of that information right now prepared,” Mayer said. “I think we should answer the questions for ourselves and get a consultant’s point of view of whether or not we should move forward with a home rule referendum.”

Second Ward Alderperson Brad Kosirog said he agreed to focus on the police station referendum, and follow up on home rule.

“I think what Amy said is spot-on,” Kosirog said. “We need to stick to business.”

First Ward Alderperson William Malecki said suggested going to referendum first in March for the police station, and then in November for home rule.

State law requires a referendum to become home rule if a municipality has not reached a population of 25,000. Geneva’s population is 21,130, according to census data.

“When I always hear about home rule is targeted at taxation and whatnot,” Malecki said. “And you always get pummeled by certain interest groups that have their reasons for being against it. ... Batavia was a community got to vote whether they wanted to remain home rule when they went under 25,000 at one point. And they decided to stay.”

Third Ward Alderperson Dean Kilburg advocated for a single ballot question for the police station – to prove to the public that officials can handle the responsibility.

“Give us the authority with home rule to undertake these three or four projects (in the Facilities Master Plan) over the next decade,” Kilburg said. “This is our timeline. This is the vision. Right now, we don’t have the vision for anything else. But we’re asking for the funding to do it. Let’s give them the vision first, then ask for funding.”