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McHenry County officials are considering whether the county should buy a building that’s across the street from the courthouse in Woodstock.
The county currently leases some space inside the building at 400 Russel Court for specialty courts, but the courts need more space because of grant-related expansions and staff growth, according to county records. The property is owned by Courthouse Offices LLC, according to county records.
Federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars would cover the vast majority of the building’s price tag of slightly more than $1 million, with $990,000 of that coming from ARPA funds and the remaining $40,000 from capital funds, according to county records.
Money from ARPA, a massive COVID-19 federal relief program, needed to be allocated by the end of 2024 and must be spent by next year.
McHenry County now pays about $38,000 in rent per year for the space, a cost that would go away if the county buys the building, which is fully leased. Two other tenants are Prairie State Legal Service and the Administrative Office of Illinois Court. County documents don’t mention the lease total “due to the proprietary nature of the lease information,” according to the documents.
Two county committees took up the acquisition this week; although it passed both, there was some discussion around it at one of the meetings.
On Wednesday, board member Matt Kunkle, R-Algonquin, said the long-term carrying costs of owning the building have to be looked at. He said the location is a good one, but he wants to know more about the financials. He said he was leaning against the purchase because of “constituent questioning,” but said more details could change his mind.
Deputy County Administrator Scott Hartman said the property wasn’t being marketed but that the owner was willing to entertain a purchase by the county.
“The seller would like to move sooner than later,” Hartman said.
The full County Board is expected to review and vote on the proposal later this month.