McHenry County Board weighing small tax hike to hire deputies
A divided McHenry County Board is discussing whether to approve a small tax increase and fund three new sheriff’s deputy positions.
Although taxpayers should see relief on the county portion of their tax bills after leaders upheld their pledge to remove the almost $11 million previously allocated to the Mental Health Board, some on the board have floated more cuts.
Last week, the county board reviewed the 2025 budget proposal and several scenarios, ranging from cutting the levy an additional 3% to maxing out on new growth and the consumer price index, a gauge of inflation that this year is 3.4%.
Board member Terri Greeno, a Republican from Crystal Lake, said there is no need for new growth or an inflation-tied tax cap increase in this year’s budget.
“We could do a 3% cut this year,” Greeno said.
At last year’s budget vote, Greeno brought forth a proposal for a flat tax levy. That failed by one vote, while the county board passed a small tax increase by one vote.
“We have to advocate for our taxpayers. That’s what we’re doing here. That is our job as the board — to level this out,” Greeno said Thursday.
County documents indicate that the proposed levy is almost $65 million, lower than last year’s nearly $73 million. The proposal captures new growth and part of the CPI.
Board member Brian Sager, a Republican from Woodstock, said the county has to cut where it can, but also not cut essential services. He said the demand for services and the cost of providing them will continue to rise, similar to a grocery store or hardware store.
The board is a “long way from putting a ribbon on this package,” he added.
Crystal Lake Democrat Carolyn Campbell noted that the small tax hike last year was a result of the board putting off needed expenses for a decade.
“We got ourselves into that position because we spent 10 years of no,” Campbell said.
“When we keep saying ‘no,’ there are consequences,” she added. “We need to be fiscally responsible. Nobody wants to say ‘yes,’ but if we say ‘no’ too many times, we end up costing taxpayers way more than if we just make sure we’re maintaining what we need.”
Campbell added that the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office has worked to keep the same level of service despite not having the deputy staffing it needs. This year, the sheriff’s office asked for funding for three new deputies, and many board members have expressed their support for that.
“I think this is an important thing that we need to be funding right now,” Campbell said.
The budget and levy will go before the full county board at its meeting next week, with the budget to go on 30-day review later this month ahead of November’s vote.