Therese H. Goodrich
Trustee
Therese H. Goodrich is a former Trustee and representative to the National League of Cities for the Village of Park Forest, and served as chair of the Park Forest 50th anniversary celebration.
In 1983 Therese was recruited to become the Executive Director of a nationwide self-help organization. She guided this organization for 10 years as it grew from 300 to 600 chapters across the states. She saw to the fundraising, newsletters, national conferences and traveled world-wide as the spokesperson for the organization. In 1993 just before she retired, the National Conference gathered 2,000 people in Chicago, from the US, Canada, Brazil, UK, Germany and France.
She is a recipient of the Matteson Area Chamber of Commerce “Athena Award,” was honored as an Abby Foundation “Woman of the Year, ” and has been inducted into the Park Forest Historical Society Hall of Fame.
Responsibilities of the
Board of Trustees
The Township Board consists of five members: the Supervisor as chairman, and four other members, each of whom has one vote.
The town board is the legislative branch of township government, which establishes policy for the township to follow. Policies established by the town board are generally carried out by the supervisor and clerk in their capacities as administrators. The town board may not establish policies for either the township assessor or the highway commissioner.
The township trustees are responsible for certifying tax levies for the township and road district. In the case of the road district, the amount of the levy is to be determined by highway commissioner. The town board of trustees is also responsible for adopting the annual budget and appropriation ordinance for the town, general assistance, and road and bridge funds. The trustees are also responsible for approving all town expense and auditing bills submitted for payment by the highway commissioner.
The trustees have an obligation to approve all legally incurred bills to the extent that there is an appropriation for the expenditure. Conversely, the trustees have an obligation to reject for payment, all bills, including those for the road district that are not legally incurred debts.