ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) -- As we inch closer to the Mar. 20 primary election, one of the biggest issues on the ballot is home rule. Some local leaders warn if it doesn't pass, the impact on the community could be bad.

"We know we are going to need new revenue so it's either a utility tax or it's the home rule option, said Rockford Mayor Thomas McNamara.

The city of Rockford is considering becoming a home rule community as a way to generate revenue to combat a hefty budget deficit.

“We need to move to the home rule direction not just from a revenue stand point, but what it can do for our neighborhoods and our local businesses,” said McNamara.

The Rockford Area Realtors Association is against the idea. It says a vote for home rule is basically writing a blank check to city leaders.

"When you go out and initiate and say ‘let's pass home rule so we can lower property taxes’ and there's no plan to lower these taxes, that's a problem,” said Government Affairs Director for the Rockford Area Realtors Association Conor Brown.

"Reducing property taxes is one of our top priorities,” said McNamara.

Mayor Tom McNamara says if home rule doesn't pass the city may have to implement a utility tax.

“We estimate that each family would have to pay between $6-8 a month. For some families, I don’t think it'll have a big impact on them, but for a lot of families it will,” said McNamara.

“You’re going to get more taxes, more regulations, it's going to be more difficult to do business here, it's going to be tougher to live here and you're going to pay for it,” said Brown.

Brown says a utility tax wouldn't be bad if the money is used to lower property taxes.

“People aren't buying homes and saying ‘I want to move to Rockford or a community with low utility taxes’, they want to move to a community with low property taxes,” said Brown.

“I don’t think home rule is the silver bullet, but I think it’s a tool in our toolkit that will help move our city forward,” said McNamara.

Both sides of the debate feel the Mar. 20 vote will be close, but the ultimate decision is up to the voter. The city of Rockford needs to come up with a balanced budget by March 31st.