McHenry City Council

Candidates for municipal offices file during first day of filing for the consolidated election on April 1, 2025, on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, at McHenry City Hall. Tuesday marked the first day of filing for most races that will appear on the April ballot, including city councils and village boards, as well as school, park, fire protection district and township boards.

Victor Santi, who has represented McHenry's First Ward for the past 20 years, does not plan to run in the April 1 local elections.

McHenry has been working on its comprehensive plans for the city as a whole and downtown specifically for the past 18 months. Those documents are now available for public comment.

McHenry had agreed to buy land where developer Shodeen would build a hotel and 500 apartments. But the developer backed out after local opposition to the density.

McHenry City Council members took their first steps toward potentially raising their pay, though it wouldn't go into effect until 2027.

Shodeen Group, the Geneva developer who's worked with the city of McHenry on potential development for several years, is set to walk away from standstill agreement

Plans to bring 800 apartments and a hotel in downtown McHenry has deeply divided the public and the council, with the mayor questioning whether he wants to continue the job.

The new owners say the previous operators of Foxhole Pizza and Pub left them the pizza recipe and they plan to continue to use it.

The McHenry City Council agreed Monday night to purchase three properties on Waukegan Road, adjacent to the former wastewater treatment plant site, for part of a future larger development.

The McHenry County Sheriff's Office and McHenry have been working towards a permanent building for the sheriff's marine unit.

Miscommunication between the landlord and tenant means the owner of a proposed piano bar in McHenry needs to find a different location.

The McHenry City Council gave the thumbs down to an idea to allow people to carry open containers of alcohol in the downtown area.

A developer wants to turn McHenry's former City Hall into apartments, commercial space and parking, and wants millions in incentives to make it happen.

Tim Dempsey is McHenry County's truancy officer. He decided to start helping struggling families he's encountered on the job.

Based on Cary and Algonquin's ordinances, McHenry now has a better idea of what gaming cafes are and how to define them in city code.

The McHenry City Council rejected a proposal to ask voters to back a $45 million rec center expansion.

The McHenry City Council on Monday night signed off on purchasing the building and property at 1219 Green Street for future downtown project, and funds for additional remediation in the area.

McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett's 2024 music festival, fundraiser for park projects, gets thumbs up from city council this week.

Without increasing its levy, McHenry faces a six-figure shortfall, and there are $18 million in desired projects that would not be funded.

The proposal would allow open containers of alcohol on downtown sidewalks, in two parks and the Riverwalk during the warmer months as a one-year trial.

If the city council likes the idea, McHenry could allow open containers and public consumption of alcohol in the downtown business district next year.

The city of MdHenry knows it has 312 lead service lines to homes and businesses that must be replaced beginning in 2027, with cost estimated at $10,000 per home.

The McHenry City Council will consider this week putting more funding into a popular program designed to help building owners improve their exteriors.

On Mondays's city council agenda, McHenry trustees approved deals for new, existing and yet-to-come businesses in the city.

A gravel mine proposal from Super Aggregates and Jack Pease was tabled from Monday's McHenry City Council meeting, who will instead vote on wether to approve a hydraulic study for the proposed wet mine operation.

Robert Justen asked the McHenry City Council last fall about the possibility for a beer and wine liquor license. A compromise agreement would allow caterers to provide the alcohol families request.

The McHenry City Council plans for mayor, human resources and a consultant to interview up to five finalists for its city administrator role and to begin recruiting after the new council is seated in May.

Here are updated results throughout Tuesday night on municipal elections in McHenry County

McHenry saw higher-than-expected revenues in the past year from property, sales and income tax and gaming operations, looking at potential additional increases in 2023-24

The McHenry City Council is set to vote on an agreement with Geneva-based developer Shodeen and future potential development at former wastewater treatment site, Green Street parcels now owned by the city.

Nearly four dozen of the local races in McHenry County will be competitive on Tuesday, as voters head to the polls to decide who will lead their school boards, municipalities, libraries and parks.

Here are all the 2023 candidate questionnaires for McHenry races.

Question: What projects or infrastructure would you look to address in your community and how would you do it? Answer: Two major projects are happening in the not-to-distant future that I support being addressed—the expansion of Route 31 and the downtown streetscape.

Question: What projects or infrastructure would you look to address in your community and how would you do it? Answer: Many residents of McHenry Ward 6 have asked me to have the roads patched or resurfaced which I will advocate for. Read Rob Johnson's questionnaire here

Question: What projects or infrastructure would you look to address in your community? Answer: The city is working on repairing our streets and sidewalks in town that are in disrepair. I would like to see how we can offer more for the youth in our community.

Castle AutoPlex CEO Joe Castle is eying expansion, possible changes to sales tax rebate deal the city of McHenry inked with Gary Lang Auto Group.

In hopes of attracting a marijuana dispensary, the McHenry City Council on Monday night changed its zoning ordinance to allow just one such business in the future.

The McHenry City Council voted Tuesday on zoning changes and a preliminary plan for an apartment complex that would bring 500 new units to Route 31 and Veterans Highway.

Two McHenry City Council members will host a meet-and-greet for residents Saturday.

The towns met Sunday ahead of a possible Monday deadline that would prohibit municipalities from enacting a one-cent tax on each game played a video gaming terminals. They were notified late Thursday a bill was passed by state lawmakers that could prohibit establishing "push taxes."

McHenry residents using city water and sewer lines will see a $4 hike in the base rates they pay on each billing cycle after a 5-2 City Council vote this week approved the increase.

The McHenry City Council granted several variances to municipal codes Monday to allow a 288-unit apartment complex development to move forward, clearing way for the largest multifamily housing project the city has seen in years.

At least three contests will take place for McHenry City Council seats in the April 6 election, it was revealed Monday, and Mayor Wayne Jett has shown early support for the campaigns of a challenger to a fellow incumbent.

McHenry City Council approved more than $860,000 in contracts Monday to demolish the former Central Wastewater Treatment Plant

McHenry officials are continuing to discuss how to approach the redevelopment of its defunct Central Wastewater Treatment Plant site.

The McHenry City Council has decided to end the city’s vehicle sticker program

The city has no plans to push a taxpayer-funded expansion on the McHenry Recreation Center after Tuesday’s referendum failure, the mayor said last week.

McHenry has completed its motorized boat launch at Miller Riverfront Park nearly three decades after its initial design and construction.

A McHenry resident is asking the community to sign an online petition requesting that the city bring back the wooden section of the McHenry skate park

McHenry’s indoor theater has been closed since 2014. However, the theater is coming back after the McHenry City Council unanimously approved plans to redevelop the former McHenry theater building during Monday’s meeting.