Published on Tuesday, 17 May 2011 19:06
Written by Gus Pearcy
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Category: The Story of Townships
The Story of Townships
A township in the United States refers to a small geographic area, ranging in size from 6 to 54 square miles (15.6 sq km to 140.4 sq km), with 36 square miles (93 sq km) being the norm.
The township government is a local unit of government, originally rural in application. They are geographic and political subdivisions of a county. Each township is identified by a name, such as Washington Township. The responsibilities and the form of the township government is specified by the state legislature.
Many forms of township government have a trustee and an elected board. Some additional offices, such as Clerk or Constable, may also be elected. The most common responsibilities include such things as fire fighting, cemetary maintenance, weed control, and other duties.
In most midwestern states, a civil township often corresponds to a single survey township, but in many cases, especially in less populated areas, the civil township may be made up of all or portions of several survey townships. In areas where there are natural features such as a lakeshore or large river, the civil township boundaries may follow the geographic features rather than the survey township.
Municipalities such as cities may incorporate or annex land in a township, which is then generally removed from township government. Indiana is the only state where every portion of the state is part of a township government, regardless of other municipalities. In other states, some types of municipalities like villages remain a part of the township while cities are not.
Finally, we welcome you to Washington Township of Hendricks County, Indiana.
