McHenry County Board president calls for restraint

McHenry County is strong, but with an ongoing economic slowdown and environmental challenges ahead its leaders must stay cautious and disciplined for it to remain that way, county board Chairman Ken Koehler said Thursday in his annual State of the County address.

Noting stagnant sales tax numbers and falling revenue from real estate transactions, Koehler urged his fellow board members to stand by the financial model that has enabled them to avoid having to choose between tax increases or service cuts like some other Chicago-area counties.

"Our financial position is the envy of most every other county in the state of Illinois," he said. "As we update, strengthen and improve this model, I know that we will want to continue to rely on this tool as we move into the uncertainty of 2008."

In a slight break from tradition, Koehler did not announce any major new initiatives for 2008 in his address. Instead, working off a theme of "Taking Things to a Higher Level," he focused on building upon the accomplishments of 2007.

Among those is final resolution on how the county will operate its Valley Hi Nursing Home. The county opened a new $14 million home early last year, then in October turned over its operations for the next two years to a private company.

Deciding what to do with Valley Hi when those two years are up should be a board priority this year, Koehler said.

"We all agree that we want to operate the facility more efficiently, but what does that really mean?" he said. "If we make a change in operations, what will Valley Hi look like? How much taxpayer support for Valley Hi is appropriate?"

He also spoke of improving the county's groundwater protection efforts, which began in earnest last April when the board hired its first water resource manager. Next up, he said, is reaching out to the county's municipalities and getting them on board.

"First, we have a message and program that makes sense, and we should be proud of what we are doing," he said. "Second, if we are going to have a successful groundwater protection program, we need our municipalities to participate."

The speech received high marks from board members for addressing what they saw as the county's two most pressing issues: water and the economy.

"I think we're coming onto some troubling times economically," board member John Hammerand said. "Caution and care in our decision-making is called for."