Saving Township Government by Putting McHenry Township Road District under Township Board

Ned Neumann wrote this letter to the Northwest Herald.  It is reprinted here with his permission:

Vote to eliminate the road district

If you are a supporter of township government you should probably give some additional thought as to what your position is relative to the referendum in the fall to combine the McHenry Township Road District into the township board operation.

If you would like to see Bob Anderson and his movement to eliminate township government go away, you should eliminate from his arsenal of ammunition the most flagrant example of wasteful government spending by eliminating the road district as a taxing body and eliminating the Highway Commissioner position which has been proven to be the most ripe for abuse with no check and balance to prevent it.

A McHenry Township Road District salt dome. Road Commissioner and Professional Engineer Jim Condon recently hired former Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Bob Miller to develop bid specs for a new salt dome.

It would be a shame to lose some of the things that a township does, sometimes well and inexpensively, because they all get eliminated at the same time on account of the excesses of the Road Districts.

When I hear complaints about townships, I don’t hear any about the Senior Center, or the township park, or the senior ride programs, or public aid or other township functions, but rather always about the Road Districts.

If those who want to eliminate all of township government become successful, it will be because of the financial excesses and waste that they will be able to point to if we let the road districts survive.

We have an historic opportunity, in McHenry Township, because of a new state law, to vote to eliminate a wasteful unit of government.

Our township road districts have become an army of patronage workers who will work tirelessly to keep their gravy train running.

We certainly can’t blame them for trying to keep it going.

We’re nuts to have let it happen in the first place but even more so now that we see how ripe for abuse and waste road districts have become.

Vote Yes in November to eliminate a wasteful unit of government so it isn’t around to point to as others try to eliminate township government in its entirety.


Comments

Saving Township Government by Putting McHenry Township Road District under Township Board — 14 Comments

  1. Bob, Jack, Dave, Andrew, and Cal will not be content with this minor change.

    Elimination is their goal even if that means raising property taxes.

  2. It would be the height of irony if Bob Anderson ends up being the Savior of Township Government.

    Meanwhile, none other than Tina Hill. has combined forces with the McHenry Township Supervisor and Road Commissioners to form a “true lies (sorry, “Facts”) group over this issue.

    I wonder if alcohol was served at the meeting.

    P.S. Interestingly, this was the LEAD STORY in the NWH on the website this morning but has since been COMPLETELY DELETED from the webpage.

  3. More interesting that for once in her life, Tina was actually right. The NorthWorst probably didn’t realize what they did until they had posted that article, so they took it down. LOL

  4. McHenry Township government is not to be confused with the sh*tshow at Algonquin Township.

  5. I cannot support giving a government agency with no oversight, and assumption of impunity to another agency with the assumption of impunity, and no oversight.

    At least with elimination the responsibilities would be handed over to a municipality that we can more easily keep our eyes on.

    The unethical, and often immoral wrongs are not coming from just road districts.

    On that I disagree with Mr. Nuemann.

  6. What would you do if you had a problem with the county if they took over the roads?

    At least with townships you can go to meetings and meet the boss face to face.

    It’s the Closest form of government to the people.

  7. McHenry Twp would fall into several municipalities several of which are kind of screwed up already.Johnsburg,McHenry,McCollom Lake, Wonder Lake ,Ringwood,Bull Valley.you can tell where the Twp road ends and one of the municipality takes over just by the pot holes and lack of maintaining them.it would be impossible to drive on them in the winter for lack of snow and ice removal.

  8. But a lot, lot less close that it was in the 1960’s.

    After people took over town meetings in Algonquin and Nunda, township officials went to Springfield and took away the budget power.

    Then prior notice was required for agenda items at town meetings.

    Then, signatures of a number of citizens were required.

    A direct connection to voters township government is not.

  9. The plan I presented at the first Township Consolidation meeting to which you attended would have saved plenty of tax dollars.

  10. Cal would it have saved tax dollars and maintained the level of service that we receive from the township?

    GG even said you can see where they start and stop.

  11. Cal, you presented a concept, not a real “PLAN”, big difference.

    Part of your concept was to have all the other residents of the county help pay for your assessments instead of how it is now where just the Alg township residents pay for their assessments.

  12. Township Government is always best.

    Bob Miller got a bum rap and is completely innocent of anything accept doing a GREAT JOB as Highway Commissioner.

    Anderson and his illeterate idiots wants to wreck something before they even know what the REAL COSTS are.

    They won’t listen to REASON.

    Isn’t that what crazy people always do?

  13. ‘Paul Revere’ aka a township employee, is dead wrong, McHenry Township is EVEN WORSE than Alg.

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