State Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, seated at the table, speaks to the McHenry County Board law and government committee Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021.
McHenry County is currently the only county in Illinois where voters are allowed to vote to dissolve a township, but McHenry County Board members say the law has too many problems and needs changes.
Meeting Tuesday with each of the state lawmakers who represent parts of McHenry County, the County Board’s law and government committee asked the county’s lawmakers to change a law that allows only McHenry County voters to eliminate townships.
“We’d like to get our hands around either being free of this legislation or being a part of this legislation administered statewide,” said board member Jeff Thorsen, R-Crystal Lake.
The county wants lawmakers to take one of two courses of action on the law: either eliminate the law, so county voters can no longer vote to dissolve a township, or extend the law to all of Illinois’ other 101 counties.
No townships have been successfully dissolved by voters since the law was passed in 2019, but the constitutionality of the law has been the subject of lawsuits filed by Nunda and McHenry township road districts and several issues with the law were identified by County Board members.
The road districts argue state law prohibits legislation from only applying to a single county.
Board members said the law does not clarify how the county should absorb a township when it is dissolved.
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