Home

Abolish Township Government in Illinois? 

Invest in government efficiencies, abolish township goverment in Illinois.

Townships:

• Obsolete
• Inefficient
• Wastes money

Township Goverment in Illinois was established in the mid-1800's as a local government to serve a rural society of farmers and settlers.  Now, in the 21st century, in an urban society, township government has become an extra layer of government and expense. 

Illinois township governments help make Illinois, with 7,000 governmental units, the state with the largest number of governments in the nation.  

How Illinois' 7000 governments compare with neighboring states :

• Indiana 2,976
• Iowa 1,904
• Wisconsin 2,752
• Ohio 3,534
• Michigan 2,727

One of the ways to reduce the property tax burden would be to eliminate township government.  Townships receive 94% of ther revenues from property taxes (as compared to city government's 10% and county government's 40%). 

Note:

--Illinois has 102 counties.  85 of these have township government; the 17 that do not, are located in the rural and southern part of the state, and instead have county form of government.

--In the United States there are thirty (30) states that do not have township governments.  There are no township governments in the southern or western states.

--Since 1902, townships have been inactive in the City of Chicago.