March 2, 2011 · 12:12 am
…., townships are permitted, but not required under law, to provide a hodge-podge of various services to residents.
The services a township may provide range from senior and public health services, to prohibiting animals from running at large, to providing fire protection. They can also purchase land and maintain roads in unincorporated areas.
As a result, townships levy taxes on their residents to pay for such services—services that critics say could often be efficiently absorbed into the county operations, which would likely make delivery more practical and less costly to taxpayers.
Yet, even if outraged voters wanted to rid themselves of an unwanted township, the task would prove to be almost impossible.
Moreover, townships are permitted, but not required under law, to provide a hodge-podge of various services to residents.
The services a township may provide range from senior and public health services, to prohibiting animals from running at large, to providing fire protection. They can also purchase land and maintain roads in unincorporated areas.
As a result, townships levy taxes on their residents to pay for such services—services that critics say could often be efficiently absorbed into the county operations, which would likely make delivery more practical and less costly to taxpayers.
Under state law, voters cannot vote to dissolve their own township. In order for a township to end, or “discontinue,” every other township in that county must also vote via referendum to discontinue it. ….
That means even in townships where residents want to eliminate the organization, they must act collectively by getting 10 percent of voters in every township in the county to sign a petition to get the issue on the ballot as a referendum in the next general election.
This is an unreasonable standard.
Click on the following for more details: http://bgathinktank.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/township-reform-pops-up-on-illinois-lawmakers%E2%80%99-radar/
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