Questions have long been swirling around about why Illinois has so many local townships.
According to available public records, townships cost Illinois taxpayers about three-quarters of $1 billion a year.
Enter recent drama.
A kiss was caught on camera at the Lyons Township Clerk’s Office that may shed some light on the essence of this public dilemma. The kiss was between Lyons Township Clerk Elyse Hoffenberg (a Democrat running for a seat on the Cook County Board) and Bridgeview mayor Steve Landek.
It may seem like nothing more than dirty politics, but the fact is that townships used to provide rural and unincorporated areas with everything from roads to policing. Now, they are mostly providing services that critics say could be easily absorbed by other units of local government, which would save taxpayers a lot of money.
There was actually a 2025 bill that would have made it easier for residents to vote to do away with township governments, but Springfield Democrats never called it to the floor for a vote.
A good number of people involved in township government are double dippers, meaning they hold multiple elected positions that allow them to draw salaries and pensions from each job.
https://wgntv.com/news/wgn-investigates/a-kiss-renews-questions-about-why-il-has-so-many-townships