Before I started working with the Sun Day, I had little knowledge of what exactly a township was. I was aware they existed, but other than that, they were a complete mystery to me. I remember when we’d drive down Kreutzer Road, I’d notice two signs: one that said “Rutland Township begin” and one that said “Rutland Township end.” They were about 200 feet from each other.
I always smirked about that, not knowing that the township was actually far larger than a small strip of Kreutzer Road. I thought the signs marked just another set of invisible lines that inconsequentially divided our state into various districts.
On drives of longer distances, say from Huntley to Schaumburg, I would wonder: how many of these invisible boundaries have I discreetly crossed? I knew I made my way through three counties, but I had also surely crossed several townships, fire protection and school districts, and a few legislative districts along the way.
These days, I realize why these boundaries made such little sense to me: I was too young to vote for any senators or fire district commissioners, so I had no say in how they operated.
Now that I am old enough, I’m still not too fond of them.
Imagine seeing an Illinois state map with borders drawn for each of its counties, cities, townships, school districts, legislative districts (federal and state), and townships. It would look something akin to a poorly erased Etch A Sketch. There is just too much to keep track of!
This is why I can’t help but see the logic in the case made for ending the township level of government. It’s a stance I have heard repeatedly in my covering the current township election and one that just makes too much sense to me.
I like to refer to this as the “horse-and-buggy argument.” That is, townships were created in the 19th century as a division of government that was more accessible for rural residents to visit than county offices.
It made sense back then, but today, I seldom see anyone travel by horse and buggy, and when I do, it’s usually a couple headed to a fancy restaurant for dinner, not to speak with their property assessor. Today a trip to Woodstock from Huntley takes about 20 minutes, so why not consolidate and save money by operating township functions from the county?
I am fully aware that part of the reason I don’t “get” townships is that I am not a senior citizen. I know that a large portion of the role of modern townships is to provide services to seniors. I am all for helping seniors, believe me.
But I do believe that the social events, bus programs, etc. can all be consolidated to county and village levels. I’m no accountant, but with the money saved from closing township offices and support from private institutions who already supplement township funding, I think these programs can survive without much of a hitch if the townships were to go.
I was quite surprised that three of the four candidates for Grafton Township Supervisor were Republicans, with one being an Independent who stresses for fiscal conservatism. Isn’t the GOP supposed to want small government? Is one of these candidates seeking to infiltrate the township by winning office and destroying it from the inside?
Lastly, and I won’t get too deep into this, but it’s no secret that Grafton Township is in a state of disarray. Whatever one’s thoughts on the current supervisor, the trustees, or the candidates for office, this is an objective fact. The township and its members are involved in costly legal battles, meetings are tense, to say the least, and feature vitriol inflammatory enough to measure up to just about any reality show.
So how does this benefit residents? Why have a small, outdated layer of government that can be consolidated into county and village levels? Why allow for bickering between officials to thrive in another layer of government that is largely unnecessary? Only 20 states currently feature townships, and some counties in Southern and Central Illinois do not have them.
We no longer drive horses and buggies, so why do we have a layer of government that’s a relic from that era?
