McHenry Township Road District Consolidation Referendum on the Fall Ballot, Dillon’s Rule Rules

“Victory!” was the way McHenry Township Trustee Bob Anderson put it after Judge Kevin Costello issued his ruling on the effort of Road District consolidation opponents to derail the November referendum.

Haven’t got the decision yet, but Anderson said the last word in the Court decision was, “Denied.”

My guess is that “Vote No” signs will start appearing on more lawns than former Road Commissioner Leon Van Every’s.

Here is the Court Order won by McHenry Township Attorney James Militello, Jr.:


Comments

McHenry Township Road District Consolidation Referendum on the Fall Ballot, Dillon’s Rule Rules — 28 Comments

  1. This was a completely frivolous lawsuit.

    I hope the township can recover the legal fees it had to incur defending this.

  2. Regardless of the ruling, if 76 voters unanimously wanted a CBA to be done, it’s kind of a dumb move on the board’s part to go forward with the referendum without doing one.

    And that’s coming from someone who would probably support the referendum.

  3. Next up, Township F’wits sue Wal-Mart to accept Target Rewards points.

  4. A win for all voters who want to see some positive changes made in their government.

    Now taxpayers in McHenry Township can vote to change the status quo.

    The roads will be maintained and, with proper oversight, money will be saved.

    Hopefully. Nunda will give us the same opportunity in the spring.

    Algonquin is halfway there.

    Rauner got this right.

    Consolidation will be part of saving Illinois.

  5. An American – 76 people who bothered to show up is a very small percentage of the eligible voters in the township.

    Now a 100% of the eligible voters can have their say.

  6. Several thousand people voted for the sitting township board, not just 76.

    The annual township meetings are a joke.

    People are recruited to come to those things by the established township trough feeders.

    They don’t represent the public at large.

    That’s why we had an election.

  7. So where is the “Who, What, Where” information about what happens after the referendum passes?

    Will the road functions stay in the Township, or does the Board intend to outsource the tasks?

    If they stay in house will we be hiring a director to manage the day-to-day functions at a salary/benefit package that will probably be close to the current cost of a road commissioner?

    Are we going to get the same level of service we receive today?

    If anyone knows the “actual” answers (not just what you think is going to happen), please speak up!

  8. No proof.
    No plan.
    No consolidation.

    This consolidation of the Road District is nothing but false promises and a White Wale by some politicians with an agenda.

    They have zero proof that this will save one dime of taxes.

    They have no plan on how to handle the Road District assets, the personnel, how much this will cost the Township to keep our roads clean and repaired.

    Like the Naperville and Lisle consolidation it could end up costing taxpayers a lot more than the pizza meal a month we pay.

    A pizza meal a month.

    Accidents on unplowed roads, new shocks and springs, are a lot more expensive that that. Let alone the safety of our families.

    No proof.
    No plan.
    No consolidation.

  9. Those questions can only be answered by those elected to the Township Board in 2021.

  10. The main argument these folks claim is more oversight.

    They gave up save tax argument because they couldn’t prove it.

    The township boards already have control & oversight.

    They approve (or not) the road district budget.

    Then, for more oversight, they review all the monthly bills before approving or rejecting them. What more oversight do they want?

    This highway commissioner has invited them all to the garage to see the operation but NONE of them tooka the time or interest to even do that.

    These are the ones you want running the road district?

    Maybe they (Bob Anderson) wants to give his son the job – since he ran for highway commissioner and lost years ago!

    People – wake up & do your homework before you fall for the promisses without the details.

    What’s that old saying – the devil is in the details? Give the details & see if it is feasible – we all might agree if we only knew!

  11. I’ve seen packing attempts before at various levels of government, but there’s usually some opposition even if the cronies are better organized (and they usually are better organized). 76-0??

    Those are some rough numbers, and as for the thousands who vote in the election, don’t forget that there isn’t a clear majority on this board.

    There are also trustees very much opposed to Bob Anderson, and they were elected in free and fair elections just as Bob was.

    When this resolution initially came to the board, it failed by one vote.

    Later, one vote flipped and it passed.

    Voters will decide and I think it will ultimately come down to who is more popular, the highway commissioner or the board.

    I don’t live in McHenry so I don’t have a dog in this fight, but why would you NOT want to do a CBA when

    1) You’re arguing some reform will save money (so the burden of proof is on you to prove that)

    2) 76 people showed up to the annual meeting and demanded a CBA be done; zero people objected

    Why not admit the optics on the pro-consolidation side could have been much better?

    On the other hand, speaking of optics, look at who’s on the “vote no” side..

  12. The purpose of the consolidation is not to save money, although that many happen eventually.

    The purpose is to replace a one person dictatorship with an elected board that will be more transparent and accountable.

    You don’t need a “study” for that.

    At the county level, you have a transportation director who answers to the county board. He is not separately elected and doesn’t have total control to develop a fiefdom populated by his relatives and friends.

    When you don’t have that, such as in the clerk’s or sheriff’s offices which are separately elected, you get the nepotism and patronage hires that we have seen in both of those places.

  13. All township road districts have dictator like power.

    This type of situation is never good.

  14. Here’s a silly question – instead of a vote to eliminate the Road Commissioner, why not a vote to change the reporting structure?

    What would it take to change the structure so the Road District reports to the Board?

    For all intents and purposes the Road Commissioner already reports to the Board since the Board has approval rights on the road budget.

    Has there ever been any evidence of wrongdoing by the current Road Commissioner?

  15. After reading through this frivolous lawsuit one realizes how far people will go to maintain their free piece of the township pie.

    McHenry Township board is not made up of politicians trying to preserve a political position.

    They are just citizens who see a need and are working toward that need.

    I applaud their efforts.

    McHenry Township voters now have an opportunity to actually make a positive change in a government entity that for too long has gone unscrutinized.

    We hope to have the same choice in the future in Nunda Township.

    Hopefully this vote will reverberate across the state and begin a movement that will help save Illinois, not for the politicians but for the taxpayers.

  16. Why should a road commissioner be an elected political position?

    What it should be is a knowledgeable, well organized person to be accountable to a board of five and not a law unto himself.

    This vote has nothing to do with the existing road commissioner.

    It has nothing to do with other township road commissioners.

    It has to do with making government more accountable in McHenry Township.

  17. It’s good the libtards lost.

    Go Anderson!

    Abolish the useless position of Road Dist Commissioner.

    No more Bob Millers!

  18. How can the loser Township Supervisor Adams sue himself?

    He’s a plaintiff and defendant.

    I guess so he can say he won no matter the outcome.

    But he cost the taxpayers money on a false suit.

    What about that?

  19. Reason #5729 as to why townships have to go.

    A good victory against the goons like Beltran.

  20. I know Hibbs, she’s an ultra-ultra-socialist.

    She’s ruining Greenwood Township and I see she got her comeuppance in this silly suit.

  21. @Teekay. the silly answer is that you can’t legally do it.

    “The only difference between a Road Commissioner and God is that one of them has a truck”.

  22. I wish we had good trustees in Nunda Township, like the ones in McHenry Township.

    But alas we have taxoholics who didn’t put the abolition up on our ballot and are complete loons.

    Iron Mike’s brat works for McHenry township.

  23. Anything Craig Adams, Mahady and communist Beltran $ wife are in league with is doomed to fail.

    Hooray for Bob Anderson.

  24. Get rid of Townships in their entirety.

    We can’t afford the Miller type corruption and the duplicative layer of government — and an obsolete and thoroughly corrupt one at that.

  25. I didn’t know how I would vote on this. McHenry Township Road Dist. seems to be working better now than under the poor leadership of Leon van Every, who used taxpayer funds (laborers on Township clock) for various wrong purposes (weddings of road crew, repaving his friends’ driveways, etc.

    But then I saw the new signs this am the township people are putting up, personally attacking a good Marine, Bob Anderson.

    Now I know I will vote for abolition.

    5 people overseeing the roads, will prevent Bob Miller type scandals and ‘Disneyland trips.’

  26. People vote no.

    They’re trying to screw you over with this.

    If you are happy with the roads the way they are then why change it?

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