City of Evanston Blog
The Township of Evanston
Tuesday night is the annual meeting of the Township of Evanston. The Township is a separate unit of government from the City of Evanston. Townships in Illinois were created in 1848 and today there are 1,432 townships in Illinois in 85 of Illinois' 102 counties.
Evanston Township is one of fifteen townships in Illinois that are coterminous with a muncipality. In this case under Illinois law, certain City of Evanston officials serve in Township capacities: the City Council serves as the Township Board and the City Clerk as the Township Clerk. In addition, the electors of Evanston Township elect a Township Supervisor and a Township Assessor.
The Evanston Township Supervisor (Pat Vance) is responsible to:
- Receive and pay out money for Township expenses and keep records of all transactions.
- Receive and pay out money allocated for general assistance.
- Administer the general assistance program.
- Act as the budget officer for the Township.
- Prepare reports of receipts and expenditures for the Township.
Essentially the Township Supervisor is the Chief Executive Officer of the Township and is elected to a four-year term.
The Evanston Township Assessor (Bonnie Wilson) is also elected to a four year term and is responsible for establishing the value of all real property in the township. The Township Assessor, in fact, is the only elected governmental official in Illinois who must pass approved courses of instruction before standing for election to office.
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