Douglas Co. (ECWd) –
We received a tip regarding the Murdock Township Highway Commissioner not living in the Township.
The elected Highway Commissioner, William Deckard, was placed on the ballot as part of the Township Caucus process; however, we note the address listed for him is a P.O. Box, whereas all the other officials have their residential address as shown in the public record at this link. The purpose of listing a physical address is so the public can confirm the person resides in the district they are running in, which is a requirement.
According to his voter registration, he resides at 103 W. Main Street, Murdock, IL 61941. We note this voter registration was filed with the Douglas County Clerk on July 31, 2025. Every search for that address has failed to show any residence at that street number, including the Douglas County GIS map. We have requested the property tax records for that address; however, it won’t really matter what it shows at this point in our investigation.
William Deckard returned my call today and confirmed he lives in………COLES county and does claim the owner-occupied residency exemption. Specifically, 23172 E County Road 1470 N, Oakland, IL 61943, is where he claims to reside in the official record, as confirmed with the Coles County GIS tax information at this link.
After he confirmed his residency and taking of the owner-occupied exemption in Coles County, I asked him if he was aware his position as Highway Commissioner is vacant, as he does not reside in the district. He then claimed he resides at the old fire station that was converted into apartments at 103 W. Main in Murdock. While we have not found any such address, it would not matter since he is claiming an owner-occupied property tax exemption in another county.
According to the law,
(10 ILCS 5/25-2) (from Ch. 46, par. 25-2)
Sec. 25-2. Events on which an elective office becomes vacant. Every elective office shall become vacant on the happening of any of the following events before the expiration of the term of such office:
(1) The death of the incumbent.
(2) His or her resignation.
(3) His or her becoming a person under legal disability.
(4) His or her ceasing to be an inhabitant of the State; or if the office is local, his or her ceasing to be an inhabitant of the district, county, town, or precinct for which he or she was elected; provided, that the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to township officers whose township boundaries are changed in accordance with Section 10-20 of the Township Code, to a township officer after disconnection as set forth in Section 15-17 of the Township Code, nor to township or multi-township assessors elected under Sections 2-5 through 2-15 of the Property Tax Code.
As it stands, it appears Mr. Deckard has some serious problems. If he claims he resides in Murdock for the purpose of holding an elected office, then he has taken a property tax exemption he is not permitted to have. Additionally, the voter registration paperwork filled out this year conflicts with his statements to me and the public record, indicating he lives in Coles County and receives a property tax break for doing so.
As far as we are concerned, the seat of Murdock Township Highway Commissioner is vacant, as the public record regarding residency is clear; he lives in Coles County and initially admitted it, just as the tips informed us at the beginning of this process.
I spoke with the Township Supervisor, and after informing her of what we discovered, that he does not live in the district, she indicated she was afraid that was the case. Our suggestion was to call a meeting, declare the seat vacant for the above reasons, and appoint a replacement who actually lives in the district. I also suggested she speak with their township attorney or the State’s Attorney for confirmation on how to proceed.
We will update with a new article as this matter moves through the resolution process.
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