County seal in line for extreme makeover

If a government seal is a symbol of a community's unique character, personality and diversity, then McHenry County is a pretty dull and unoriginal place.

The seal, which is nearly identical to the state of Illinois seal, depicts a bald eagle carrying a banner and red, white and blue shield, not a particularly common sight around these parts.

Worse yet, officials say, it's uninspiring and unimaginative.

"It's boring," said Tina Hill, chairman of the McHenry County Board's management services committee. "We want something that's unique, that says, 'We're McHenry County.'"

Hill's committee took the first step in that direction Tuesday, forwarding a recommendation on to the full county board suggesting it consider an extreme makeover for the county seal.

For now, the most likely option is to remake the seal to look like the county flag, with a few modernizing tweaks.

The flag features the county name and its year of incorporation along with images of a cow, an ear of corn and a fish jumping above a waterway as the sun sets behind it.

Hill said her committee considered holding a contest to design a new seal or seeking public input, but the consensus was that may not be the best use of county resources.

"We have so many more important issues," she said.

The idea for a change was prompted by discussions of signage outside the county's new animal control facility in Crystal Lake. Officials hope to have the new seal designed and ready for a rollout when the facility opens early next year.

County Administrator Peter Austin said he does not believe remaking the seal would be especially costly. The change, he said, could be phased in over time as the county uses stationery and business cards, buys new vehicles and loses to attrition other items that carry the seal.

"If the board is willing to live with two seals for a year or two, there's not a big cost," he said.