McHenry Co. Township Consolidation Bill Passes Senate

The Illinois senate passed a bill Thursday that would allow voters in McHenry County to dissolve unwanted townships through a majority vote at the poll. The bill, which was sponsored by Sen. Terry Link, D-Gurnee, passed with a 33-16 vote. The legislation will now be sent to the state’s governor.

The bill provides a referendum process that essentially puts the decision on dissolving townships in McHenry Co. in the hands of voters, Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, government bodies and bring down costs."

The bill also requires road districts in Lake and McHenry counties to be abolished if they contain less than 15 miles of roads.said in a statement following Thursday’s vote.

Voters may submit a petition with signatures equalling at least five percent of the number of voters in a previous comparable election to get a referendum on the ballot. Otherwise, the trustees of any township in McHenry County may submit a resolution calling for a referendum on the dissolution the township.

In both cases, if a simple majority of voters agree to abolish a township, the township would be dissolved at least 90 days after the election, McSweeney said.

“Everyone loves to talk about how Illinois has too many units of government,” Link said. “This bill would help fix that. Everyone loves to complain about high property taxes. This bill would help provide property tax relief.”

If passed, the law would apply only to the 17 townships in McHenry County.

“The key to lowering property taxes is eliminating any redundant layers of government that exist among the nearly 7,000 taxing bodies functioning in Illinois,” McSweeney said. “Taxpayers should have more tools at their disposal to make determinations about how to scale back government bodies and bring down costs."

The bill also requires road districts in Lake and McHenry counties to be abolished if they contain less than 15 miles of roads.

“We don’t need a governing body for less than 15 miles of roads,” Link said in a statement. “It just doesn’t make any sense. Government consolidation is long overdue, and eliminating wasteful road districts is the perfect place to start.”

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