Evanston Township Non-Binding Dissolution Question (March 2012)

A Evanston Township Non-Binding Dissolution Question was on the March 20, 2012 ballot in the township of Evanston which is in Cook County.

This measure was approved

• YES 8,365 (66.94%)a
• NO 4,131 (33.06%)

This measure was non-binding and asked residents if they wanted to dissolve the township and give power over to the city of Evanston. Some township trustees noted that dissolving the township could lead to lower administrative costs, while others stated that there is no clear path for dissolution and the road could end up being very costly with legal issues. The city attorney also noted that there is a section of Illinois state law which says that the other townships in the county must also weigh in via a referendum if a township is to be dissolved. Though township officials countered that they believed they had the authority to dissolve their own township without outside input.

Efforts had been made to remove the question from the ballot or to not have the votes counted for the measure. Though because the ballots had already been printed, the issue cannot be removed, those residents opposed to dissolution said they would continue to fight this measure. Residents were able to obtain enough signatures to ensure that the issue would be discussed at a township meeting. Their arguments against the measure were that it was placed on the ballot without input from residents and violated procedures in the township.

Text of measure

The question on the ballot:

	Should the Evanston Township Board continue to pursue the issue of dissolving Evanston Township?

Additional reading

• Trib Local Evanston, "Evanston officials: keep advocacy out of referendum education," January 11, 2012
• Evanston Patch, "Township Dissolution Referendum Might Put City in Legal Gray Area," November 30, 2011