ILLINOIS HAS MANY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

The numerous local government units in Illinois literally surround the taxpayer with government and services, the Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois pointed out today. Illinois' 6510 local governments place it second in the nation; only Nebraska exceeds this number.

Every Illinois taxpayer resides in a county. Likewise, he lives in a 12-grade school district, or in an elementary school district and overlying high or non-high school district.

Counties, in turn, have been required to subdivide into townships or road districts and to delegate to these units the performance of certain functions. With the exception of a few urban areas, every part of the State is also included within either a township or a road district. Unlike other types of local units, townships or road districts are never cut by county lines.

Besides those levels of government that may be described as "inclusive" because they cover the State completely, there are many other loyal governments formed to give additional service in selected areas. Cities, villages, and incorporated towns perform governmental services of a general nature in urban areas. On the other hand, special purpose districts, such as Fire Protection Districts, concentrate on the one purpose for which they are created.

There seems to be no restriction on the range of duties which the Legislature may assign to townships in the 85 township organization counties. Nevertheless, only a few types of services are expressly required of all townships. It is their duty to provide general assistance, although this obligation was not general before 1931 and has been reassigned at various times to the counties. The most important other township function is the

Page 66 / IIlinois Municipal Review / March 1958

Road districts in the 17 commission organization counties can be compared with townships in that they must construct and maintain rural roads and bridges. General assistance, on the other hand in such counties, is administered by the county.

Though local governments are still numerous in Illinois, they are not as abundant as they were in 1944. Chiefly through school consolidations, local governments have been reduced from 15,155 in 1944 to 6,510 in 1957.

Page 67 / Illinois Municipal Review / March 1958