CHICAGO -- Supporters of the "Bring Chicago Home" have filed court briefs in an attempt to sway the judge to stand by their decision to invalidate the referendum.
“Bring Chicago Home," a referendum seeking to have Chicago voters give city council the power to change the real estate transfer tax. It asks voters to allow city council to increase taxes on expensive property sales and use the money to help the homeless.
The judge in this case has told lawyers on both sides to have their arguments ready next week. Meantime, the voters are already casting ballots.
Even though early voting has already begun in Chicago, the March 19 election ballots were printed before a cook county judge invalidated the referendum known as “Bring Chicago Home.”
In the Loop on Friday, supporters of the measure rallied after filing briefs intended to convince the court to allow the question to be counted.
Alderwoman Maria Hadden argued that a majority of Chicagoans want to see the homelessness addressed with the estimated $100 million the tax increases would raise.
Chicago’s current real estate transfer tax is a flat tax of point: .75% on all property sales.
The proposal would decrease tax for properties sold for under a million dollars.
But homes between $1 million to $1.5 million would be taxed at two percent, and more expensive properties would be taxed at three percent.
But the judge invalidated the measure saying a referendum must present a single question, while bring Chicago home asks voters to weigh three.
The CEO of Illinois Realtors, a trade association which opposes the measure, said the judge simply followed the law.
In Chicago the neighborhood building owners alliance, a group opposed to the measure, has said it quote: “hurts renters, small housing providers, small businesses, and local neighborhoods.”
In an exclusive interview with WGN political reporter Tahman Bradley, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he hoped that voters, not a judge will have the final say.
"The good news is, the referendum question, the ‘Bring Chicago Home’ question is still on the ballot," Mayor Johnson said. "I firmly disagree with the ruling that came out of the circuit court. I’m ultimately believing, and hopeful, that the people of Chicago will decide how we want to address the unhoused crisis in Chicago.”
The City of Chicago and the Chicago Board of Elections are appealing the judge’s ruling.
Officials with both entities say they hope to have a ruling before the to the primary election on Tuesday, March 19.