McHenry County’s new election center sees construction costs grow beyond approved amount

McHenry County officials are planning to get settled in the new election center by next month, McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio said. The election center is located in a former Aldi space and is in the same strip mall as the Woodstock Secretary of State’s Office.

The center is meant to be a hub for election-related business, including space to store voting equipment and train officials. The County Board voted for a seven-year lease for the center in January.

Leading up to the vote, some on the board expressed worries about the election center being leased rather than purchased. Some members also raised concerns about the original 10-year lease for the center and, ultimately, a seven-year deal was approved.

Along with the lease, the county approved $120,000 for buildout costs, with the landlord picking up the remaining estimated $165,000. However, that has since come in over budget, and the County Board is being asked to approve another $45,000 for the center’s construction.

The total cost came in about $91,500 over the estimated total, but the landlord is splitting that cost with the county, according to documents.

Tirio said the election center got a new heating, air conditioning and ventilation unit to put air conditioning in the back of the building. That is largely driving the overage, according to county documents.

Tirio said the building won’t be accessible to members of the public until the end of August, when trainings for election officials start up.

The County Board also is set to approve a slate of poll workers, and is set to take that and the election center issue up at the board’s July 16 meeting. The Republican and Democratic parties have nominated people to serve as poll workers for the next two years of elections. Tirio said the County Board signs off on the slate, and then the court commissions the officials.

“It goes on without much fanfare,” Tirio said.

The Democratic Party nominated significantly more judges this election cycle. Tirio said “it is not uncommon” for one party to nominate a lot more workers than the other. He noted “the pay is negligible” for election workers.

Tirio said his office always is looking for more poll workers, and interested people can reach out to his office or the political parties. The clerk’s office can be reached by calling 815-334-4242 or emailing countyclerk@mchenrycountyil.gov.

Election judges declare which party they want to go with, Tirio said.