Springfield Republican State Rep. Tim Butler seems to be trying to follow the example of former State Rep. David McSweeney.
Butler introduced a bill to allow citizens to vote on whether to abolish Capital Township, consolidating it into Sangamon County government.
He followed former State Rep. (now Congrssman) Mike Bost’s House floor example as well.
According to the Springfield Journal-Register, Butler “pounded his fist, screamed and threw a paper calendar across the Illinois House chamber Thursday night, saying he was frustrated Democrats won’t call a House vote on his bill to allow a referendum on a Capital Township merger with Sangamon County government.”
Welch’s promise of a “new day is a bunch of BS right now,”
House Bill 2994 is on Short Debate on the House Calendar, meaning the committee which approved it (Counties and Townships) deemed it uncontroversial.
Indeed it passed 11-0 in committee.
The bill is described below:
Provides that, in addition to any other procedure available by law to discontinue a township, upon resolutions of the board of trustees of Capital Township in Sangamon County and the Sangamon County Board, and after referendum approval by the voters of the Township and County:
(1) Capital Township in Sangamon County is discontinued; and
(2) all the rights, powers, duties, assets, property, liabilities, obligations, and responsibilities of the Township are transferred to Sangamon County, including, but not limited to, the administration of the Capital Township’s general assistance program.
Provides that Capital Township and Sangamon County shall follow the same procedures that townships and municipalities must follow under Article 29 of the Township Code in order to dissolve the Township and transfer all the rights, powers, duties, assets, property, liabilities, obligations, and responsibilities of the Township to the County.
Effective immediately.
The State Journal-Register adds the reason for the blockage:
Springfield Mayor Jim Landfelder, a Democrat, has said he opposes Butler’s bill and informed Democratic leaders in the General Assembly that he doesn’t want the legislature to pass special legislation dealing with Springfield and instead consider dissolving townships around the state that are entirely inside municipalities.
The Mayor says he wants the township merged with city government.
In 2018 74% of Capital Township (which pretty much covers Springfield) voters approved merging with county government in an advisory referendum.
No but the Dems can Cheat their way to try to make dc a state so they can get more votes..!
I say we all need to succede from the pria of these cheats thieves remove ourselves and our states towns, etc from them its out of control..
what they are doing lawlessness they think they are above the law. .. to screw the we the people …
Illinois’ 1,433 Townships Under Attack, a good thing!
Townships?
Cronyism, Nepotism, Patronage and Waste!!!!
It’s an interesting question.
If a township is geographically fully encompassed within a municipality, wouldn’t it make more sense, as apparently argued by the Springfield mayor, for such legislation to authorize a referendum by the municipal electors to have the “rights, powers, duties, assets, property, liabilities, obligations, and responsibilities” of such township transferred to the municipality rather than a county ?
After all, wouldn’t the residents of a municipality and an encompassed township be more of a residential match than the residents of such township and the residents of the county ?
What if such municipality isn’t the county seat ?
Springfield is all about patronage.
Mayor is Democrat.
Republicans control county government.
Innocent, the answer is no.
Democrats see townships as additional sinecures for pension and patronage.
Gary Puckett
So, you believe it makes more sense in such instances to transfer the “rights, powers, duties, assets, property, liabilities, obligations, and responsibilities” to the county (meaning, for all intents and purposes, the county seat) rather than the municipal government in which such township is located ?
So, when Evanston Township was discontinued it would have made more sense to transfer the aforementioned to Cook County rather than the City of Evanston ?
By the way, I’d bet if we took a survey of Illinois township officials the majority would be Republican by a wide margin.
Townships are kooky-ooky.
Take Zion Township where my brother lives.
The entire township is within the City of Zion.
WTH do they need a township Road district chief?
Fort Drum MP
I don’t believe Zion Township has a road district or a highway commissioner.