A bill that would consolidate Illinois township roads and bridges is headed for approval from Gov. Bruce Rauner.
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SPRINGFIELD — A bill that would consolidate Illinois township roads and bridges is headed for approval from Gov. Bruce Rauner.
The bill has already been approved in the House and Senate.
Passage of the bill would allow township trustees to initiate referendums to consolidate township road districts in counties across the state. Out of the over 8,500 local governments, there are nearly 1,400 township road and bridge districts. These are legally separate from the 1,430 general townships in Illinois.
In Ogle County, each of the 24 townships has an elected road commissioner that is responsible for the roads and bridges in their township. If this bill is passed, each of the township boards would have the option to present a referendum whether or not they want to eliminate their particular road district.
The referendum would then be placed on a ballot for voters in the township district. If voters approved the referendum, the list of responsibilities ranging from administrative duties to personnel and public relations, on top of the maintenance and construction, could be shifted to the township board of trustees.
Ogle County Highway engineer Jeremy Ciesiel explained a summary the Illinois Department of Transportation sent listing all of the duties currently handled by the road commissioner that the township board of trustees would assume. The administrative leg alone listed 15 items.
“If the legislation passes, a township board of trustees passes a resolution to put the abolishment of the road district on the ballot and the public votes in favor at the general or consolidated election, the township board of trustees would assume [the list of responsibilities],” Ciesiel said. “The responsibilities will not go away as a result of passage. These are often day-to-day responsibilities, many of which would be difficult to manage through monthly meetings.”