A majority of Springfield voters support the city adopting a landlord registry with nearly 70% voting “yes” for the referendum on the Nov. 3 midterm election ballot.
“Shall the city of Springfield adopt a landlord registry, inspection, and licensing program similar to other Illinois cities?” read the advisory referendum.
The measure is nonbinding, and depends on the Springfield City Council to approve a landlord registry and an inspection and licensing program.
“Overall, I think that it should be able to show the City Council that there is a need, there is a want, and there needs to be action put behind the community’s voice,” said Tyshianna Bankhead, executive director of the Faith Coalition for the Common, one of several nonprofit organizations behind the campaign for the landlord registry.
Advocates collected more than 5,000 signatures to get the advisory referendum on the November ballot after an attempt to get the City Council to approve placing a ballot referendum for voters to weigh in failed.
Supporters of the referendum overcame pushback from landlords who said the creation of a landlord registry would raise the rent and taxes.
Ward 3 Ald. Roy Williams, who has strongly championed the landlord registry and housing reform at the City Council said following election results, “I have a big smile on my face.”
“All the propaganda that was out there was all, in a sense, dishonest and scare tactics because there’s nothing written yet about this registration or inspection program,” he added.
Yard signs appeared around town leading up to the election claiming that a landlord registry would raise taxes, although there has been no push for a tax increase. The Springfield Area Landlord Association, which acknowledged posted the signs, considers any fee charged by a municipality as a tax.
Williams praised the groups who supported the referendum along with the Faith Coalition, including the Independent Coalition for our Neighborhoods (ICON).
“They put a lot of work in it,” he said. “They did a lot of walking, they did a lot of things.”
Tony Nudo, president of the Springfield Area Landlord Association, the leading opponent of the referendum, said in reaction to the referendum results, “It’s mind-boggling to me.”
“It’s just vindictive against housing providers, and it’s discriminatory against people who rent,” he said.
He said the city does a good job with the limited amount of inspectors already on staff.
“We need to use the tools in our toolbox that we already have, and whether we’re using them now or not using them, they’re there. So, why are we going to go buy a new tool?”
According to the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey 2025 1-year estimate, renter-occupied housing units in Springfield total 20,296, about 38% of all occupied housing units.
Currently the city has a reactive approach to inspections, which requires tenants to file complaints and a city inspector to review the claims made.
Among Illinois’ 10 largest cities, Springfield and Naperville are the only two remaining with no mandatory registration for rental properties. Champaign mandated a rental property registry in April.
Bankhead said housing advocates don’t plan to rush an ordinance through the current City Council.
“We want to make sure that the community voice is at the table, always,” she said, “So, our renters, our homeowners, our landlords.”
“I see after the election in April being able to really have a steady City Council that’s coming in with fresh minds, being able to see this more clearly and not have to go over what the past administration has done,” she said.
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Illinois Times reached out to council members prior to election night to find out where their support lies for a landlord registry, should the referendum pass. In addition to Williams, Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory, Ward 4 Ald. Larry Rockford and Ward 6 Ald. Jennifer Notariano said they support creation of a registry. However, Rockford is not running for reelection and the other three incumbents are facing challengers in the April election.
Ward 1 Ald. Jeff Cox, Ward 7 Ald. Brad Carlson, and Ward 10 Ald. Ralph Hanauer said they voted “no” on the most recent effort to add a landlord registry to the ballot. Cox is facing a challenger in the upcoming municipal election, while Carlson is running unopposed. Hanauer is finishing his third and final term on the council, due to term limits.
Ward 5 Ald. Lakeisha Purchase said she supports “both sides working together” but told Illinois Times she most likely wouldn’t be able vote on such an ordinance due to the potential conflict of interest since she is a landlord herself. Purchase recused herself from the council vote last fall.
Ward 8 Ald. Erin Conley and Ward 9 Ald. Jim Donelan did not respond to several requests for comment. Neither are running for reelection.
Carlson, an outspoken opponent of the landlord registry, said the City Council already passed an ordinance targeting problematic landlords, whereby a landlord with three or more violations in one year gets added onto a list.
“That’s what the council liked,” he said. “That’s what the council passed.”
He said the challenge for the city is enforcing the ordinances it already has in place.
“It’s going to fall on the (Buscher) administration,” he said. “If there’s no garbage pickup, there’s an electrical issue, no running hot water, no running cold water — those are all an ordinance violation.”
Carlson said questions remain about how inspections will be implemented.
“Are we going to have inspections every time somebody moves in and out of an apartment?” he asked.
He said increasing the number of inspectors will be something the City Council will have to consider as they near budget season.
“But, at what cost?” he asked. “We’ve got to see.
Illinois Times reported that Springfield has six housing inspectors, while Elgin, which is similar in size to the capital city, has 10 inspectors.
Moving forward, Williams said working sessions will be announced that seek to bring tenants, landlords and homeowners together to develop the language for a landlord registry and inspection program, with an ordinance draft presented to the council for a vote.
Williams said they’ll be reviewing other landlord registry programs throughout the country that can serve as models for what’s developed in Springfield.
“We may take a tidbit here or there from other models, so that we don’t reinvent the wheel,” he said. “But we want to tailor our language, and tailor the way we implement the program that fits Springfield, so that by the time it comes to the council we won’t have any trouble.”
Molly Wallace contributed to this story.
