If a Township Should Be Abolished, Bill Doesn’t Send MFT to County

Each month each McHenry Township gets a share of Motor Fuel Taxes from state government.

The distribution formula has money going to municipalities, counties and townships.

The share for cities and villages is based on population, as is the sare for income tax.  That explains most of the reasons for non-census year counts.  (Woodstock, of course, had one in order to gain the Home Rule status ability to raise taxes without a referendum, which its city council did.)

The share for counties is determined by its proportion of vehicle licenses.

With townships, it’s lane miles of road.

To be more specific, Tim Peters of IDOT writes that MFT funds are distributed to local agencies in the following breakdown:

  • 49.10% goes to the municipalities- apportioned in proportion to population;
  • 16.74% goes to the counties having a population 1,000,000 or more (Cook County);
  • 18.27% goes to counties having a population less than 1,000,000 – apportioned in proportion to motor vehicle license fees collected;
  • 15.89% goes to the road districts/townships – apportioned to each in proportion to a total mileage of roads in the State.

Here is what was sent to McHenry County township road districts in March (the number of lane miles is in the middle column):

Multiply by twelve and you can estimate how much each township gets from the state each year.

The language of Rep. David McSweeney’s township abolition by referendum bill does not allow for the transfer of the share of Motor Fuel Taxes that would otherwise be used to help pay for the upkeep of the roads were the township to remain as is.


Comments

If a Township Should Be Abolished, Bill Doesn’t Send MFT to County — 3 Comments

  1. The MFT formula shorts townships, property taxes would be less if the formula was closer percentage to what the county gets.

    MFT should be increased especially on electric vehicles, it’s a user fee you can regulate unlike property taxes.

    Some people don’t care if townships elimination would lose funding and roads would gradually get worst.

    Logical thinking isn’t part of McSweeney, Gasser, and Anderson’s personalities.

    Well thought out plans before hand works.

  2. There is something suspicious going on and the powers that be in Springfield use the bumpkins like Anderson to their benefit.

    I think the plan would be to force everyone to annex into the nearest municipality or maybe battles will be had for these roads and the homes along them.

    Maybe an answer to the pension problems in Crystal Lake, McHenry and Woodstock?

    Then all the unincorporated can enjoy paying for libraries, park districts and oh all the new people we’ll need to hire and the raises for the enlarged departments!

    A dream or a nightmare depending on how you see it.

    How in the world do you pass this without a study or a plan?

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