State Rep. David McSweeney is proposing at amendment to Senate Bill 1937 that would prohibit township governments throughout Illinois from increasing the amount of money they extract from taxpayers’ pockets for the next two years. Unlike some legislators and local … Continue reading
Here’s what it looks like for my Algonquin Township part of Lakewood: MCHENRY COUNTY – $1.00 per $100 of assessed valuation (up from 79 cents per $100 – this must include the 708 Board Mental Health tax) MCHENRY CO CONSV … Continue reading
I was reading an article Boone County Watchdog criticizing the Belvidere Township Assessor’s petty cash fund when I ran across the following in a referenced article in the Belvidere Daily Republican: “In addition, she [Assessor Diann Helnore] said she understands … Continue reading
A missive from Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore. I wonder if it will get more than the 50 comments on the previous post about her. Dear Grafton Township Residents, The deadline for filing an appeal of the assessed value of … Continue reading
What would happen if a candidate ran for township office pledging to abolish the government for which he or she seeks office? Attorney and future McHenry County Board member Mike Walkup considered the question and came up with the following: … Continue reading
District 6 Democratic Party McHenry Coun”ty Board candidate Scott Summers answered a recent question about consolidating local governments and shares a slightly different version of it below: “As a Democratic Party candidate for a District 6 seat on the McHenry … Continue reading
Woodstock attorney Robert T. Hanlon was in courthouse this past Wednesday to offer his services pro bono to mediate differences between the Township Trustees and the Supervisor. There were court appearances in the Separation of Powers case that Supervisor Moore … Continue reading
It’s that time of year when township officials have to make up their minds whether they are running for re-election. It’s also time for those thinking about challenging township officials to be making similar calculations. When I last saw Grafton … Continue reading
Real estate tax bills being sent out in McHenry County this year will total $783,689,437.41 this spring. That compares with $773,325,977.50 a year ago. That’s an increase of 1.34%, which those with good memories will recall is less than the … Continue reading
Looking at articles in Springfield’s State Journal-Register Sunday, I found one about a Citizens Efficiency Commission that’s looking at township government. Sangamon County has 52 townships. There are archaic creatures called Township Collectors that collect the first installment of real … Continue reading
Since the 1973 fiasco of a caucus conducted by the Algonquin Township Republican Central Committee, McHenry County largest township has allowed voters to decide who GOP candidates for township office shall be. That was the year that first-term Assessor Forrest … Continue reading
An IRS finding handed down January 31st will surely be the talk of the next meeting of the Township Officials of Illinois. It says that heretofore fringe benefits, such as the Grafton Road Commissioner’s vehicle and the reimbursement for dinners … Continue reading
Of course, township elections are not until 2013, but I know people are already discussing running for the offices. Some have commented that some officials’ salaries are too high. Odds are good that most will be raised for the next … Continue reading
A couple of weeks ago news media unloaded the latest attack on township government. They were working from a Better Government Association report. Most of the attention was aimed at Cook County townships. That’s where most of the land is … Continue reading
The lobbying arm of Illinois Township Officials is urging local members to call their legislators to ask them to oppose two bills. One takes money from a state subsidy that should have been phased out decades ago. It looks like … Continue reading
The litigation concerning who has what power in Grafton Township has been long and expensive, but also interesting. I’ve discussed how it involves the pitting of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of local government with Linda Moore’s attorney John … Continue reading
The Grafton Township Board wasn’t unanimous in its decisions Thursday night, but there was enough cooperation to pass two motions concerning the potential sale of the Haligus Road property purchased by the previous Board where a new township hall was … Continue reading
Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore’s string of court victories met a bump in the judicial road Thursday. A unanimous 2nd Appellate Court panel decision overruled McHenry County Circuit Court Judge Michael Caldwell’s order that Moore attorney John Nelson should be … Continue reading
Today let’s look at the cost of maintaining township roads. As you can see, the cost varies a lot,. So do the number of miles of roads for which the various township road commissioners are responsible for maintaining. The townships … Continue reading
Today McHenry County Blog looks at the cost of township government in McHenry County. The cost per person is the column that I find most interesting. Below you will see them listed from lowest cost to highest cost for the … Continue reading
