On April 9 residents will have the chance to vote in a plethora of local elections, among them township government.
Illinois has more local government than any other state in the country. The Alton Telegraph reported that Illinois had more than 6,900 units of government. Illinois has far more units of government than much more populous states – California has about 4,350 units of government, for example.
Shrinking the number of entities that can levy taxes is not a new topic in Illinois. And township government has often been a target.
Last year Evanston Township voters overwhelmingly approved an advisory referendum to dissolve the township. This year in Palatine Township, a petition is circulating to dissolve the Palatine Township road district. There is a similar movement afoot in Wheeling Township which includes Arlington Heights.
According to the nonpartisian Civic Federation, Illinois has about 1,432 township governments. Townships, for the most part, have three primary duties: the assessment of property for taxation, road maintenance in unincorporated areas, and the disbursement of financial aid to the poor.
Proponents of eliminating township government generally argue that township services can be taken over by local municipalities or county government.
However, Palatine Village Manager Reid Ottesen said eliminating the township road district would increase costs for the city: “I just don’t see how it’s practical without us increasing our expenses to do so, we have a good relationship with the township and help each other out in-kind, often. The village council approves our intergovernmental agreement each year.”
A Better Government Association report in 2011 argued that township government in Cook and the collar counties had largely become redundant.
Defenders of township government state that it is the most local form of government and that its services are provided effeciently. Also, some townships provide a wider variety of services.
"Last year we provided over 25,000 rides for the elderly and the disabled," Wheeling Township Supervisor Michael Schroeder told the Better Government Association. "Who else is going to do that?"