Plainfield Township Officials Win Awards

Plainfield Township scored top awards at this year's Township Officials of Illinois (TOI) Annual Education Conference in Springfield.  

Assessor Erin Kljaich received the organization's 2012 Mighty Message Award for her Real Estate Tax News brochure.

The award recognizes Kljaich’s efforts to educate the residents on the assessment and tax cycles. First elected in 2009, Kljaich has made education a priority.  

Earlier this year she was a presenter at the Plainfield Public Library during Money Week. In 2011, Kljaich achieved the certified Illinois assessing officer master designation from the Illinois Property Assessment Institute.

Tax Collector Matthew C. Starr, also elected in 2009, chairs the township's Youth Committee and was the recipient the 2012 Youth Organization Award from the Association of Illinois Township Committees On Youth (AITCOY).

Starr was also the recipient of the 2011 Friend of Youth Award from AITCOY at last year's conference.

Since taking over leadership of the Youth Committee, Starr has created numerous programs that benefit the younger residents of Plainfield Township. Among these are scholarships for college-bound high school seniors, a youth garden program, and partnering with “The Great Read,” a program that joins local libraries, governments and service organizations on encouraging young people to read.

The youth committee also just hosted its fourth annual College & Financial Aid Expo, which drew more than 600 people, the largest turnout to date.

Starr received his B.A. in political science from Lewis University in 2010, and is a 2006 graduate of Plainfield Central High School. Full time, he works as an admissions adviser for DeVry University in Naperville.