From McHenry County:
Moody’s Re-Affirms McHenry County’s Top Aaa Bond
Rating
WOODSTOCK, Ill. – McHenry County has once again been assigned the top Aaa bond rating by Moody’s Investors Service.
Moody’s first awarded McHenry County its top Aaa bond rating in 2010, and has maintained it since.
The Aaa bond rating – the highest possible rating that can be assigned to general obligation bonds – allows McHenry County government to borrow at a low rate because of its extremely high creditworthiness, which results in significant taxpayer savings.
McHenry County is one of only three county governments in Illinois to have the top bond rating – only 2 percent of counties nationwide achieve this goal.
McHenry County Government paid off the last of its bond debt at the end of 2021, and has been debt-free for the past five years.
“Once again attaining the top Aaa bond rating from Moody’s is a testament to McHenry County’s long and proud history of fiscal responsibility and accountability,” County Board Chairman Michael Buehler, R-Crystal Lake, said.
“Thank you to the County Board for its many years of approving responsible budgets and setting sound fiscal policy, and to county staff for constantly seeking ways to improve efficiency and decrease expenses.”
In its decision to re-affirm McHenry County’s top rating for the 17th straight year, Moody’s cited McHenry County’s “strong economic base, robust financial position, and low long-term liabilities,” as well as ongoing residential and commercial development, strong resident income, and favorable location in the Chicago metropolitan area.
McHenry County prioritized reaching the top Aaa bond rating as an organizational goal in the early 2000s, and achieved it through strong budget, debt, and cash reserve policies.
McHenry County displays its budget through Questica OpenBook, an interactive tool that allows users to view all levels of the budget, from a high-level summary by category to revenue or expense account detail by fund and department.
You can review the current 2026 budget by visiting https://mchenrycountyil.openbook.questica.com/.
