Township Board Unites Against State Consolidation Efforts

GREEN GARDEN TOWNSHIP — The Green Garden Township Board voted unanimously to oppose state legislation that would consolidate township governments, amending the Annual Town Meeting agenda to include a resolution against such measures.

The March board meeting revealed growing concern about proposed Senate bills that could threaten the township’s independence, with Assessor Bushong distributing flyers about the legislation and emphasizing “the importance of pulling together to save the community.”

Supervisor Don Murday connected the issue to the recently filed decennial report, suggesting it could unintentionally provide “ammo to the State to dissolve townships to show inefficient which is not a new thing.”

Trustee Wagner requested that information about the consolidation efforts be added to the township website “for people to communicate with local congressman,” while Trustee Dietz mentioned an upcoming webinar about “dissolving townships and the proposals from TOI [Township Officials of Illinois].”

The board unanimously approved amending the Annual Town Meeting agenda to add a resolution opposing consolidation after Murday explained that TOI had sent resolutions out but “the notices were late resulting in amending ATM agenda to put the resolution on it.”

The township’s concern appears well-founded based on Assessor Bushong’s financial report, which highlighted the township’s strong economic position despite its small population. Bushong reported that Green Garden “has the highest equalized assessed values (EAV’s) per parcel than other townships of similar size and higher EAV’s than many townships with far larger populations and more parcels.”

According to Bushong, the township’s total equalized value was over $239 million in 2023, with an additional $28 million added in 2024, and another $2.5 million increase in just the first two months of 2025.

The township’s robust property values and continued growth could make it an attractive target for consolidation efforts that aim to combine smaller governmental units with larger ones.

During discussion of the Annual Town Meeting agenda, Trustee Wagner questioned whether two requested agenda items from incoming officials would be binding, prompting Murday to suggest “having the township attorney present to guide through the ATM.” Murday explained that while items can be placed on the agenda, “whether it is binding is the issue.”

The Annual Town Meeting, a once-yearly gathering where township residents can directly participate in certain township decisions, is scheduled for April.