Trustees


Township Trustees

A board of township trustees has only such powers and authority as expressly granted it by statute or necessarily implied from the duties and obligations imposed upon it by the State.

Primary duties include, but are not limited to, maintenance and improvements of township roads, to oversee the functions of its government and officers; acquisitions and care of property, contracts, fiscal matters, zoning, etc. However, there are also more specific fields of reference such as: animals, public buildings and furnishings, real estate, cemeteries, ditches, drains and water courses, fences, fire protection, forests and trees, garbage and waste disposal, dumps, health, hospitals and housing projects, libraries, parking of vehicles, parks and recreation, port authority, property, public utilities, weeds, brush, and welfare.

Term of Board of Township Trustees

The township is governed by a board of three trustees, all of whom are elected to their positions for a term of four years. The term of trustees begins on the first day of January after the election. 

Election of Trustees

Two trustees shall be elected at the general election on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November in 1949 and every four years thereafter.

One trustee shall be elected at the general election on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November in 1951 and every four years thereafter. The theory of staggering the terms of office is for the purpose of having at least two experienced township officials in office at all times.

Qualifications

It must be remembered that the trustees are elected as representatives of the people, and they hold their office in trust with and for the people of the township. Their personal qualifications of integrity and dedication to duty are of prime importance. In addition, a candidate for the office of township trustee must be a qualified elector of the township and a resident of the township for which he or she wishes to be a trustee.

Although a person has been duly elected to the office of township trustee, he or she is not entitled to hold their position until he or she qualifies by giving bond and taking his or her oath of office. The positions of trustees are non-partisan.