The township lobby in Springfield likes to tell everyone that township government is “closest to the people.” What this huge lobby group doesn’t say is that townships have developed a cloaking device so that while they may be close, they can go to great lengths to be invisible.
Belvidere Township is a good example of how this cloaking device works. Based on a review of news stories we’ve written over the past few years, it seems as if this group of public officials works diligently to limit input from the taxpayers at meetings, to keep public information away from the public and to attempt to do things — trying to buy the old Moose Club for example — that benefit only themselves.
The township officials are so afraid of their constituents that they make them jump through hoops to look at documents that are the property of the owners of the township — the citizens.
“We don’t have anything to hide, but some of the questions were so complicated that the board had their fill of (residents’ requests) and said, ‘Don’t do anything. Send it to the attorney,’” Township Supervisor Pat Murphy told Register Star reporter Jennifer Wheeler.
Wow! Does Murphy think he’s mayor of New York City, where things really are complicated? This is a small township in northern Illinois, for heaven’s sake.
The township hired a Chicago lawyer to examine all requests to see public information. She charges taxpayers $190 an hour for legal work, $105 for paralegal work and $95 for education services.
Education services? Pardon? We may have been born at night, but it wasn’t last night. “Education services” means public relations. Why the heck does a township need a PR person to run interference? Answer: It doesn’t.
When the 1970 state constitution was written, the idea of many delegates was to streamline government in Illinois by eliminating the archaic system of townships.
But the township lobby was so strong it succeeded in retaining some functions for townships: assessing property, providing township assistance and maintaining some roads.
That’s too bad for supporters of limited government and lower taxes.
