City of Champaign Township Relationship

Formation and Boundaries of Townships

When Champaign County was first formed it was divided into townships. Cities and villages were subsequently established but the townships remained and generally did not change in duties or boundaries. All land within a county belongs to some township, but may not be in a city.

The Illinois State Archives web site contains a useful map of Champaign County townships

The Birth of Coterminous Townships

In Illinois, the boundaries of townships and cities are generally not directly connected. Boundaries may overlap in area without overlapping in functions.

In the early 20th century, as part of a “good government” movement that was sweeping the US, the legislature allowed for a coterminous city and township, where:

• The City Council would be the Town Board.
• The City Clerk would be the Town Clerk.
• The township would have a Supervisor position.
• The township would have an Assessor position.

At that time, all land within the City of Champaign was removed from the township it was in and assigned to the newly-formed City of Champaign Township (coterminous). Land assigned to the City of Champaign Township is removed from whatever township it was previously in — mainly Champaign Township, but also Somer, Hensley and even a tiny piece of Urbana Township. City boundaries continue to expand due to annexations. Consequently, the coterminous City of Champaign Township expands with it, and adjacent townships shrink.

There are about 15 coterminous townships in Illinois. The City of Urbana has this relationship with Cunningham Township. The city of Urbana’s growth leads to a smaller Urbana Township and larger Cunningham Township.

Functions of Townships

Townships perform some functions that are then reviewed on the county level.

• Property tax assessment.
  Assessments are first made by the township assessor, then reviewed by the county assessor (called the Supervisor of Assessments).
• General assistance.
  Assistance is administered by the township but appeals are taken to a county committee

Cities, in general, perform different functions than counties so their relationship is not direct.

The City of Champaign Township continues to perform the same functions as any other township, but some of its officials are also officials of the City, leading to a savings of costs and eliminating some duplications.

Township Management

Township Board of Trustees

The City Council acts as the Board of Trustees for the Township. Essentially the power of the Township Board centers around the raising of funds to support the Township activities. The Board of Trustees audits the accounts of the Township Supervisor.

Township Board Meetings

The Township Board meets on the first Tuesday of each month. The meetings are generally quite short and deal with much narrower issues than those of the City Council.

There is an annual meeting of the Township which is more in the nature of a New England town meeting. At the annual Township meeting, all electors of the Township have an equal vote and can, though usually don’t, enact far-ranging resolutions which bind the Board and the Supervisor. The annual Township meeting takes place on the second Tuesday of each April according to statute.

Township Supervisor

The Township Supervisor 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.

Township Assessor

The Assessor is elected to a four-year term and responsible for property assessments.

Township Clerk

The City Clerk assumes responsibilities of the Township Clerk.

Township Attorney

The City Attorney acts as the Township Attorney.

Township Management History

Before 1969, the County Board was made up of township supervisors automatically. There was no direct election of County Board members. Township supervisors were elected, who then represented their townships on the County Board. To an extent, townships were divisions of the county.

While the new City of Champaign Township was formed in 1924, there was a period where the Township, by error, elected a Town Clerk and Town Board of its own. This happened between 1950 and 1980. The situation is now back to where it was in 1924, with the City Clerk serving as the Town Clerk, the City Council serving as the Township Board, etc.

Contact

For questions regarding the City of Champaign Township, please contact:
City of Champaign Township Supervisor
Email: LindaCofCSuper@aol.com
603 S. Randolph
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217/352-4500

For assessment questions please contact:
City of Champaign Township Assessor
203 W. Green
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217/359-1691