Michael Skala

McHenry County starts budget process, upholds promise to remove Mental Health Board levy on budget.

Three proposals to lower speed limits on McHenry County roads will head to the full county board for consideration.

A proposal to merge Metra, Pace and CTA into one agency is prompting opposition from McHenry County leaders.

If the referendum passes, the property tax levy earmarked for the mental health board will be eliminated.

McHenry County Board members decided to give the public more time to weigh in the proposed speed reduction.

Proponents argued the raises for McHenry County assistant state's attorneys and public defenders will help the county attract and retain lawyers.

Raises are being sought for prosecutors and public defenders in McHenry County to make them more competitive. But the discussion led to accusations of politicking.

Stretches of Lakewood Road in Lake in the Hills are being considered for speed limit reductions.

A former Aldi in Woodstock will become the McHenry County Elections Center, with plans to move in before the general election in November.

McHenry County is considering renting out a former Aldi to use as an election center and polling place.

The $247 million McHenry County budget was approved along with a levy that will raise property taxes slightly for homeowners and businesses.

While Kane County hopes its neighbors will help foot the bill for its Longmeadow Parkway project and keep it from becoming a tollway, some officials in McHenry County are hesitant about what’s being asked.

During an at-times contentious meeting filled with public comment and back-and-forth questions about civil liberties, safety and morality, the McHenry County Board passed a resolution opposing Illinois’ recent gun ban.

With nine new McHenry County Board members being seated this month, members, both new and old, say their priorities are tackling inflation, making progress on Valley Hi, and doling out federal money

Half of the McHenry County Board is new, with seven incumbents losing their seats in November. Eight of the previous board’s members opted against running for their seat this year.

Unofficial results for the newly downsized McHenry County Board show 13 Republicans to five Democrats. Of those potential winners, eight new faces could be on the board, making up nearly half of the body.

With the polls now closed in Illinois, the count can begin to see which candidates will take the 18 open seats on the McHenry County Board.

The race for Illinois governor won’t be the only one on Tuesday’s ballot. With the redrawing of the state’s political maps, the make-up of the entire McHenry County Board and both the U.S. and Illinois houses of representatives will be determined, along several other races.

With a possible property tax increase looming for the McHenry County Board, one candidate running in District 9 said he supports a boost to keep up with inflation, while his two opponents think cuts can make up the difference.

McHenry County could raise property taxes, or will have to make cuts, in order to balance part of its budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

An affordable housing project in McHenry has been helped along by McHenry County to the tune of almost $2 million, but will still need other funding and final approval from City Council before construction begins.

McHenry County is the only county in Illinois where voters can vote to dissolve a township. County Board members want state lawmakers to either repeal the law or expand it to all counties.

“At this point in our trajectory, I think it’s not going to send a proper statement to the residents at this time in the middle of a pandemic to raise taxes,” board member Jeff Thorsen, R-Crystal Lake, said

“The legislature did not see fit to fund that themselves, they just dropped it on us,” said McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio on new requirements his office must follow for the 2022 Election that have added up to $1 million in new expenses for his office.

McHenry County has received as much as $10 million from a contract with ICE, but a new state law requires the contract to end along with the revenue stream

McHenry County taxpayers could collectively be on the hook for an additional $1.4 million under McHenry County’s proposed budget in part, officials said, because of a 2017 property tax cut and the state’s move to end the county’s contract with ICE.

One county board member said the superintendent's testimony to state lawmakers about the failed audits was "misleading"

‘It speaks volumes about our sound, forward-thinking fiscal policy that we not only weathered a once-in-a-century pandemic, but also kept our Aaa bond rating,’ one County Board member says

McHenry County Board to consider the cancelation of ICE contract after committee approval Thursday

Resolution will be considered by second committee next Thursday; activists say action at the local level is sends an important message

The push to end McHenry County's contract with ICE has gone on for months with protests, a car caravan and numerous public comments at public meetings.

As the first term of McHenry County’s first publicly elected County Board chair comes to an end, clashes between the McHenry County Board and its chairman have sparked questions of where the limits of the board chair’s power should lie.

At Thursday's Committee of the Whole meeting, McHenry County board members were given the chance to discuss two new resolutions proposed by Board Chairman Jack Franks.

On Monday, McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks proposed a resolution to cut the salaries of most elected officials by 10% as the county faces immense losses in revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

McHenry County is projected to see upwards of $22 million in lost revenue for fiscal 2020 because of COVID-19-related shutdowns, according to a May 5 report from the county's Director of Finance Kevin Bueso.

The McHenry County Board gave final approval to a system by which to seat its committees with a popularly elected chairman.