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

• Published date: 01 June 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0160323X221124894
• Author: Jaehee Jong,Christopher B. Goodman,Aaron Deslatte,Jerry Crabtree,Kurt Thurmaier
• Date: 01 June 2023
• Subject Matter: Field Notes

https://doi.org/10.1177/0160323X221124894

State and Local Government Review

2023, Vol. 55(2) 170 –184

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/0160323X221124894

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Field Notes

Introduction

They are both embedded and often invisible. In

places like Illinois, Minnesota, and

Pennsylvania, township governments are the

most common general-purpose units of local

government. Yet, they are among the least stud-

ied and understood. They provide services to

more than 50 million citizens in the United

States, although their span of functional service-

responsibility varies. Townships have a varied

history, largely depending on what geographic

region they are located in. Today, township gov-

ernments exist in 20 states as multifaceted pub-

lic service providers. The authority and

responsibility assigned to townships can vary

significantly both within and across states, even

more so than for single-purpose governments

(e.g., school districts) and traditional general-

purpose ones (e.g., municipalities). In New

England states, town and township governments

operate in lieu of counties to provide extensive

municipal-style services.1 Midwest townships,

in contrast, operate in tandem with counties to

provide road and bridge repairs and varied

social services in mostly rural areas. In recent

1124894SLGXXX10.1177/0160323X221124894State and Local Government ReviewJong et al.

research-article2022

1Department of Public Administration, Northern Illinois

University, DeKalb, IL, USA

2O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs,

Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA

3Township Officials of Illinois, Springfield, IL, USA

Corresponding Author:

Aaron Deslatte, O’Neill School of Public and

Environmental Affairs, Indiana University Bloomington,

1315 E. Tenth Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-1701, USA.

Email: adeslatt@iu.edu

The Forgotten Governments:

Exploring Midwestern Township

Capacities and Functional Service

Responsibilities

Jaehee Jong1, Christopher B. Goodman1, Aaron Deslatte2,

Jerry Crabtree3, and Kurt Thurmaier1

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.

Keywords

township governments, capacity-building, collaboration, consolidation