Get what you pay for at township meeting

On or about April 14, 2015, electors (local registered voters) hold an annual township meeting. The Daily Harold does an excellent in reporting addenda items for local annual township meetings and referendum questions supplied by electors.

It is a simple process of having 15 electors sign a petition, with an item for the agenda which can include a nonbinding referendum question to be endorsed by the electors present at the meeting, or as simple as funding a tree program.

The petition must be presented to the clerk of the township before March 1. Almost everyone that lives in a town or village in Lake County and Illinois pays taxes to fund a township government. Most elected officials take the opportunity of the annual meeting to provide a "state of the township" speech, which is in opposition to the fabric of a meeting held by and only for the electors and excludes participation, in any form, of elected officials except the clerk of the township (to record the meetings minutes).

The elected officials at a township meeting have only the rights of any other elector and any attempt to conduct a presentation is unethical and should be reported to the Illinois attorney general.

Township government, which is antiquated and redundant in almost every service it provides, was created when travel and communication to the county capital was impractical. Present-day townships officials create huge salary and full benefit packages. This is an opportunity to add agenda items and participate in annual township meetings.

Please contribute in the shadow local government you are funding through tax dollars and gather your neighbors and friends to attend and involve yourself in an Annual township meeting April 14, 2015.

Michael Hennessy

Wauconda Township