Townships in America date back to before we were a country. The first township was established in Providence, Rhode Island in 1636. In 1848 the Illinois constitution gave voters the opportunity to adopt a Township Government. Two years later the first township governments began. Today the township form of government serves more than 8 million people.
Today township governments still play an important role in society. Not all township governments provide the same services or have as much influence as others. Edwardsville provides many programs and services through the township. Everything from …show more content…
No one knows what the future holds or what to expect due to the changing situations. I interviewed Edwardsville township supervisor Frank Miles, he told me that the state was going away with township governments. This is due to coterminous boundaries of municipalities and township governments, which are considered an outdated form of local government. It cost the taxpayers more and is hard to keep track of which government does what. Many townships have already been dissolved and it is believed that there are many more to come. Although places with many unincorporated elements, like Edwardsville, are still in need of a township government to cover all of the programs and services. It will be interesting to see how all of this unfolds and if township governments with survive in the years to