McHenry County Board District 2 candidates support curbing taxes

Three candidates vying for the Republican nomination for two McHenry County Board District 2 seats in the March 15 primary say curbing taxes and promoting economic development are key to stemming the exodus of county residents.

Cameron Hubbard, John Reinert and Jeffrey Thorsen, all of Crystal Lake, are vying for the two-year seats. Thorsen and Hubbard have served on the Crystal Lake City Council, and Reinert is a homebuilder.

"I think we are at a pivotal point," said Reinert, 55, a 30-year businessman. "I'm for economic growth."

County officials also need to take a harder look at unfunded mandates with the state's ongoing budget crisis, he added.

Thorsen, 57, a banker and lifelong county resident, said rising property taxes are forcing people out of their homes.

He believes officials need to make surgical cuts. A good place to start would be eliminating the tax levy for the county's Valley Hi Nursing Home in Woodstock and spending down its roughly $41 million surplus, he said.

The nursing home - established through a voter-backed referendum - operates on a roughly $11 million yearly budget and last year had a $600,000 deficit.

"That's not creating an economic environment for business," Thorsen said. "I don't understand how you could have reserved four times your annual budget. I don't even know if it's legal."

Thorsen added, maintaining three to 12 months worth of reserve funds ought to be sufficient.

County officials have said the surplus cannot be transferred into the general fund, nor can it easily be rebated to taxpayers.

Reinert said the surplus is the result of good management. Closing Valley Hi is not an option as many poor county residents have nowhere else to go, and soon veterans are going to need such a long-term care facility, he said.

"It's an asset. We should protect it if we can," he said.

Reinert supports reducing the tax levy for the nursing home, but doesn't believe the county should spend down the entire surplus.

Hubbard, 31, a financial adviser, who also leans toward freezing the tax levy and spending down reserves, advocates going back to residents to see if they still support a publicly funded nursing home.

If elected, Hubbard said he wouldn't immediately start slashing the county budget. The county is hurting for jobs and he urges efforts to bring businesses back.

"I'm more focused on trying to grow our way out of this tax situation," he said. "A tax abatement program is a way to attract businesses."

The district includes portions of Algonquin, Barrington Hills, Cary, Crystal Lake, and Lake in the Hills.

Dominique Miller of Crystal Lake is running as a Democrat for one of two two-year District 2 seat. Early voting is Feb. 29 through March 14.