The Forgotten Governments: Exploring Midwestern Township Capacities and Functional Service Responsibilities

Townships

Jahee Jong, Christopher B. Goodman, Aaron Deslatte, Jerry Crabtree and Kurt Thurmaier. (2023). “The Forgotten Governments: Exploring Midwestern Township Capacities and Functional Service Responsibilities,” State and Local Government Review 55 (2): 170-184, doi: 10.1177/0160323X221124894

Authors
Affiliations

Jaehee Jong

Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University

Aaron Deslatte

Indiana University

Jerry Crabtree

Township Officials of Illinois

Kurt Thurmaier

Northern Illinois University

Published

June 2023

Doi

Abstract

This field note provides both a foundation for discussion about the role of townships in local governance and empirical evidence of their unique and embedded role. Drawing on a survey administered to Illinois township supervisors, administrators, and assessors, it presents baseline indicators about the range of township services, managerial practices, assessment, and collaboration for services to better illuminate current services, capacities, and challenges. A greater understanding of the complexity of delivering township services can guide policymakers in their deliberations about the future of township governments and provide research propositions for investigating township governments in the United States.

Citation

BibTeX citation:
@article{jong2023,
  author = {Jong, Jaehee and Christopher B. Goodman and Deslatte, Aaron
    and Crabtree, Jerry and Thurmaier, Kurt},
  title = {The Forgotten Governments: Exploring Midwestern Township
    Capacities and Functional Service Responsibilities},
  journal = {State \& Local Government Review},
  volume = {55},
  number = {2},
  pages = {170 - 184},
  date = {2023},
  url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0160323X221124894},
  doi = {10.1177/0160323X221124894},
  langid = {en}
}