questions & answers

Belvidere Township
8200 Fairgrounds Road
Belvidere, IL 61008

Office Hours

Monday-Friday
8:30 A.M.- NOON
&
1:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M.

Phone 815-544-2027

Fax 815-544-2068

Q. What is a Township's responsibility?

A. By law, Illinois townships are charged with three basic functions:

1) General Assistance for the indigent;

2) The assessment of real property for the basis of local taxation;

3) Maintenance of all roads and bridges outside federal, state and other local jurisdiction.

Q. Does Belvidere Township provide general assistance to those in need?

A. Yes, the township does provide assistance for those in need. For more information call 815-544-2027.

Q. Are Townships responsible for Property Assessment?

A. Yes, townships establish the value of all real property in the Township. The township assessor, in fact, is the only elected government official who must pass approved courses of instruction before standing for election to the office. For more information and a general understanding of how this process works see our Assessors page.

Q. What is the Townships responsibility concerning roads and bridges?

A. Township Government maintains over 71,000 miles of roads in Illinois - a full 53% of all thoroughfares in the state.

Q. What other services does the Township provide?

A. Beyond those services established by state law, Township Government provides vital services to the people next door. This may include Boone County Council of Aging senior citizens programs, Belvidere YMCA youth programs, Belvidere Park District parks and recreation, Boone County Health Dept., and cemetery maintenance.

Q. How is the Township made up?

A. Most Illinois Townships elect eight officials: a supervisor, clerk, four trustess, an assessor and a highway commissioner.

Q. What is the Supervisor's role?

A. The supervisor is chief executive officer of the township and chairs the board of trustess. The supervisor also administers the general assistance program and is treasure of all town funds.

Q. What is the Trustees role?

A. Trustees comprise the legislative brance of the township. With the supervisor, they have voting rights over establishing township policies outside the jurisdiction of the assessor and highway commissioner.

Q. What is the Clerks role?

A. The clerk is ex-officio clerk of the highway district and the local election authority and keeps all town records except for active general assistance case records. The clerk also is responsible for posting legal announcements for the township.

Q. What is the Highway Commissioners role?

A. Except in townships with fewer than four miles of road, the highway commissioner is responsible for maintenance of all roads and bridges in the district that are not part of any other government road system.

Q. What is the Assessor's role?

A. The assessor establishes values on all parcels of property within the township. The assessor does not levy taxes. the Values determined by the assessor are used by the government entities to levy their taxes against. For more information, see our assessor's page.

Q. Who serves the Township?

A. The people who serve in Township Government are men and women who embody the practice of citizen government. They work in local factories, offices, retail outlets, on farms and in the home. Because they govern at the most basic level of service, they make themselves available to the people they serve.

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