The City of Champaign Township is in charge of property tax assessment and general assistance. The township is governed by an elected Supervisor and Board of Trustees, consisting of City Council members. Although assessing is a major part of what the township does, general assistance is also an important aspect of the work they do as 27.2% of the township residents are living below the poverty line. 

The general assistance-transitional assistance fund is essentially a place of last resort for people who do not qualify for Supplemental Security Income or TANF and have already applied for food stamps, a medical card, and exhausted all their unemployment or sick leave. Many of the recipients of money from the fund have applied for Social Security or disability but have not yet begun receiving these benefits. Currently, about 500 people have come to the office requesting assistance and about 250 people were approved and given assistance. Since the township is run on tax dollars and it must work within the strict parameters of the law, the township officials are not looking to expand their services but rather to provide as many grants as they can to qualifying recipients.

The office has worked to become more fiscally responsible and is now able to offer additional programs, such as Christmas presents to recipients and community members with little means, an emergency fund, and bags of basic toiletries for anyone needing them. Last summer the township was also able to provide more than a hundred box fans to senior citizens through other community programs.

History

Champaign was founded in 1855 as “West Urbana,” and became Champaign in 1860. The City of Champaign Township was formed in 1916.

In 2000, The News-Gazette reported that in the last fiscal year the township provided a total of $33,000 in general assistance and was critical of the township for providing so little assistance. In 2006, the newly elected City of Champaign Township Supervisor, Linda Abernathy, reported that the township was providing assistance to 100 people a month, up from 20 a month in 2005 under the previous supervisor. By early 2007, the township’s cash reserves were dwindling, and the township dropped about 80 able-bodied recipients. Another 50 disabled recipients had their grants cut to $100 a month. In 2009, the current supervisor Pamela Borowski was elected into office. According to our interviews she quickly worked to trim the budget, and in 2010 the monthly stipend went from $212 to $225. Currently the stipend is $245 a month.

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