The new law allows voters to start the action with a petition. Signatures from 250 people, or signatures from at least 5% of the total number of people who voted in a similar election, are required for the referendum to be requested. When individuals want to raise awareness about a certain cause, banner printing can be used to spread the message.
At the Township Board meeting, Bob Anderson, who is a trustee, suggested that the question of the referendum can be put on 2020’s presidential election ballot. If the trustees had taken action at the meeting, they would have had the option of putting the referendum on the March 17th primaries. Anderson and the other trustees decided to wait because they wanted more time to learn about the new law and give the public enough time to make an informed decision.
Robert Beltran, a McHenry local who opposes the dissolving of townships, said:
“Do you think the same people…. are going to turn around and vote to take away the road district along with the township? You are not serving the public. You are serving some other purpose.”
Voters in McHenry County have voted against consolidation in the past. A referendum was put forward to dissolve McHenry Township’s road district in 2018 and the public voted against it with a 68% majority. A similar attempt made in 1994 was overwhelmingly voted against. Members of the groups who opposed these consolidation attempts believe that dissolving the townships will centralize control and lead to less efficient services in the dissolved townships.