My first township meeting was while I as in college
My father took me to one in the Algonquin Township garage where the paving of roads in the Silver Lakes Subdivision was being discussed.
Developers often did not construct roads that were good enough to be taken into a township road system.
The authorizing language, sponsored by Crystal Lake State Rep. George Lindberg, was found unconstitutional, according to the 1870 State Constitution.
Nevertheless, when I was McHenry County Treasurer from 1966-1970, I collected taxes to pay off the bonds.
When I was elected State Representative in 1972, I found the issue was still vibrant.
The reason?
People on non-dedicated roads paid township road taxes, but received no benefit.
During my first term, I sponsored a bill to allow the Motor Fuel Taxes shared with township governments to be used on non-dedicated roads.
That was not nearly enough to bring all of them up to the required standard, so affected residents lobbied the County Board for financial assistance.
Enough pressure was brought to bear that these non-dedicated road folks won.
Now that program is being brought into question.
Below are the minutes describing what was said at last month’s County Board Committee of the Whole meeting:
Mr. Skala stated the resolution proposed terminating the non-dedicated subdivision road maintenance
program, centered on several key concerns.
Mr. Skala emphasized the lack of public input, noting that residents and affected townships should have
been given an opportunity to provide feedback before making such a significant change.
He also questioned the accuracy of the projected cost savings, pointing out that actual annual spending on the program was lower than budgeted due to township matching funds.
While acknowledging issues with the program, Mr. Skala argued that terminating it without further review and public input was premature.
Other board members shared varying perspectives.
Conversely, Mr. Campbell and Mr. Kearns supported ending the program, arguing that it was an inappropriate use of county funds for private roads and that resources should instead focus on public infrastructure.
The discussion highlighted a tension between fiscal responsibility and the need for a fair and transparent
process that considers the impact on affected communities.
No formal action was taken, as there were concerns that simply not making a motion might leave the issue unresolved. The overall consensus was that, while the board seemed inclined to
