List of Illinois townships
Of the 102 counties of the state of Illinois, 84 are organized into civil townships, usually referred to as simply "townships" in state law.
The legal name of each township is the form "___ Township" or "Town of ____".[1] State law specifies that no two townships in Illinois shall have the same name,[2] and that, if the Illinois Secretary of State compares the township abstracts and finds a duplicate, the county that last adopted the name shall instead adopt a different name at the next county board meeting.[3] Nonetheless, a few township names remain duplicates in Illinois.
Other forms
Cook County is organized into townships except for the city of Chicago: in 1902, voters in Chicago chose to abolish the eight townships in the city.[4]
There are 17 counties with no township government: Alexander, Calhoun, Edwards, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Menard, Monroe, Morgan, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Scott, Union, Wabash, and Williamson.[4] Each of those counties is instead divided into precincts.
Organization and naming
The operation of townships in Illinois is established primarily by the Township Code (60 ILCS 1). Each county has the option to adopt or discontinue the township form of government.[5]
Each township name is chosen by "in accordance with the express wish of the inhabitants"; but if "there is not a degree of unanimity as to the name", then the name may be chosen by the commissioners that are dividing the county into townships. In addition, if the county board is petitioned by a majority of the township's voters, the board may change the township's name.[2]
Each township is governed by an elected board, which consists of a "supervisor" plus four "trustees".[6] There are special provisions for automatic creation of a township in any city or village where township organization has been chosen for the county but some of the municipality's territory does not yet have an organized township;[7] for consolidating the territory of a city across multiple townships into a single township for the city at the voters' request;[8] and for creating an optional "coterminous" township that follow the borders of a city in most circumstances and allows the city council to act as the township board.[9]
Powers
60 ILCS 1/85-13 enumerates general services that townships are allowed to spend money on:
- Public safety (including law enforcement, fire protection, and building code enforcement).
- Environmental protection (including sewage disposal, sanitation, and pollution abatement).
- Public transportation (including transit systems, paratransit systems, and streets and roads).
- Health.
- Recreation.
- Libraries.
- Social services for the poor and aged.
- Development and retention of business, industrial, manufacturing, and tourist facilities within the township.
Other parts of 60 ILCS 1 authorize townships to provide cemeteries,[10] comfort stations, community buildings, hospitals, monuments, open spaces, parks, facilities for the developmentally disabled, and disposal of brush and leaves.[11] After approval by a referendum, a township may also provide water and sewer services and general waste collection.
Townships
Former townships
- Evanston Township, Cook County
- Hyde Park Township, Cook County
- Jefferson Township, Cook County
- Lake Township, Cook County
See also
- List of census-designated places in Illinois
- List of cities in Illinois
- List of towns and villages in Illinois
- List of counties in Illinois
- List of precincts in Illinois
- List of townships in Illinois by county
- List of unincorporated communities in Illinois
References
- ↑ Township Corporate Powers, Generally (60 ILCS 1/85). Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- 1 2 Township names (60 ILCS 1/5-40). Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ Duplicate township names (60 ILCS 1/5-55). Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- 1 2 "Cook County Township Government FAQ Part 1". The Civic Federation. 2010-04-14. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ Adoption of township organization (60 ILCS 1/5). Retrieved 2012-05-14.; Discontinuance of township organization (60 ILCS 1/25). Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ Township Board (60 ILCS 1/80). Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ Township co-extensive with city or village (60 ILCS 1/5-75). Retrieved 2012-05-14.; Territory deemed a township (60 ILCS 1/15-45). Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ Consolidation Of Townships Within City (60 ILCS 1/20). Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ Township Within A City (60 ILCS 1/15). Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ Township Cemeteries (60 ILCS 1/130), Public Graveyards (60 ILCS 1/133), and Joint Township Cemeteries (60 ILCS 1/135)
- ↑ Disposal of brush and leaves (60 ILCS 1/210-7). Retrieved 2012-05-15.
