McHenry County Board member Terri Greeno is one of only two budget hawks on the seven-member Finance and Audit Committee.
The other is Eric Hendricks.
Remarkably, two of the three Democrats are on the committee:
- John Collins
- Carolyn Campbell
Occasionally, Larry Smith, who was defeated in the Republican by Marty Mohr, joins them in questioning expenditures.
He did so when the committee was considering beginning paying members of the Board of Health saying, “such roles are often considered acts of service.”
$140 a meeting for the chairman and $100 each time for the others who agreed to serve as volunteers.
The total cost each year would be $14,000.
In the committee-approved resolution (see page 372 in this huge document), only two arguments are put forth for paying these volunteers:
- “the proposed compensation is comparable to stipends/per diem amounts established for other local commissions and boards of health in neighboring counties” and
- “with the recent receipt of a grant that will offset general fund personnel costs, the approved Department of Health FY2026 budget has sufficient funds to support a monthly stipend to Board of Health members that does not require any additional supplemental increase to the Department of Health’s FY2026 budget.”
No justification is advanced that there is a NEED to pay members of the Board of Health, just that
- other counties are doing it and
- the money has been found.
That sounds so much like what a mother might say to a child, “Would you (insert something stupid a kid might do) just because Johnny is?”
Since it is not in this year’s budget, where would the money come from?
That is, of course, stated above in bureacratize, but let’s put it more simply.
When asked, Health Department Administrator Melissa Adamson replied, “The Department is using existing FY26 general fund budget for the expense. The additional grant funds are offsetting other general fund expenses.”
As a former U.S. Bureau of the Budget (before the name was changed to the Office of Management and Budget) Examiner and just a citizen, that means too much money was appropriated to the Health Department.
Or, put more directly,: Money for the first year would be paid from money left over from overtaxation this year and enough taxation next and in future years from us taxpayers.
I asked Greeno about the meeting and received this clearly frustrated email in reply:
I went on that topic again this morning (Thursday) in the Finance Committee meeting…specifically about the Board of Health stipend and that if we can’t say no to $14K then how are we going to CUT $3M +!!!! (Emphasis added.)
The word CUT implies pain and difficulty and it’s our job and it’s why we were elected and if they don’t like what we do when we make CUTS on this budget then they won’t re-elect us in November. But it’s OUR job, not Department Heads. We tell the Department Heads to keep looking for the cuts.
It’s going to be a tough discussion if they can’t even say NO to $14K measly dollars for volunteers! (Emphasis added.)
AND we told Brian Sager NO Lookback option!!!
Good grief. It was stated in the Referendum there would be no lookback.
And Pam Althoff keeps saying to me, at yesterdays Admin committee meeting, that the County is only 6.7% of the Property Tax Levy, and I keep saying that, yes, it’s only $70M, it’s only 6.7% of the bill and IL is still the #1 Property Tax State in the US and the Tax Bill is more than some people paid originally for their home where they raised their family. And others can’t get a start on owning their home, in a condo or townhouse, or trailer because of the property taxes….
Where, when, how do we get a handle on it if WE don’t take a look at what we are spending and ask if the taxpayers WANT all this? How about 742K squ ft of buildings on 33 acres for the County? Do we need it? Maybe? Have we really looked at it carefully?
At least Mental Health is on their own. It’s their building now. Their maintenance. Their problem. And no property tax revenue coming from there.
Oh man…
Below is a more formal statement from Greeno:
To achieve a balanced budget in 2027 the McHenry County Board is looking at budget cuts rather than increasing revenue (when the government says this it means INCREASING YOUR TAXES).
It has been a long-standing policy of the County Board to maintain Fund Reserves at a minimum of 5 months Reserves. That is not negotiable.
The policy and the decisions are determined by the County Board to be implemented by the Department Directors. During the process and during the entire year there is open collaboration between all parties.
Thursday, April 9th, I shared these paraphrased comments at the Finance Committee meeting regarding the launch of the 2027 budget process.
Remember that the 2026 budget process brought the surprise of a ‘lookback’ in which the $10M sales tax referendum for the Mental Health was going to be added back into the Property Tax Levy resulting in the larger property tax increase in the history of McHenry County. It was a hard-fought battle to defeat it. I was deep in the bloody fight. My comments,,,
So cuts—the word “cuts” hurt, and they’re unpopular. And I couldn’t get this board to cut $14,000 of bar bill money for a volunteer board. I mean, I’m just saying—
We didn’t want to do that because that money came from a grant, at least temporarily, but it could have alleviated pressure on a levy. And it will be on the levy next year. And this Board wouldn’t vote NO on $14,000 to volunteers on the Public Health Board.
I know.
And that was only $14,000. Try cutting $3.5 million—$5 million.
Yes, it’s going to make people sad, mad, unpopular. And so …it’s our job. That’s what leadership does… for the good of the whole.
And there could be programs, services that maybe aren’t getting a return, maybe were great initially, maybe they’ve achieved their goals and are just there because people like each other and they like serving in those areas, but they aren’t really serving a purpose anymore. And so those are the types of things that we have to objectively look at.
You know, it’s going to be very difficult, but this is the time, and we’re asking you—we’re telling you, we’re directing you to give us these budgets so that we can look at them.
And as we hash through it, and then we make the decision that, yes, no, we’re going to either say that these things are cut or that our taxpayers, our constituents, are going to have to continue to take the load on their backs of the 6.7% portion of their property tax bill from McHenry County which is still $70M. Illinois is the number one property tax state in the nation.
And that’s just the way it is, so that your property tax bill is higher than it cost for the house that you originally bought, and now you’re retired and trying to still live here.
So that’s just one of the difficulties of taking this position that we all ran for of our own free will. So yes, we’re asking you for these scenarios, and so please give us that opportunity to look through them and discuss them, and we will take that challenge, and then we’ll decide, and that’s what we signed up for.
And that’s fair, and that’s what people voted for when they voted for us, right? We know if they don’t like that then they won’t be voting for us in November.”
= = = = =
While Greeno says that taxpayer-voters can express their opinions in the November election, the way the budget process now works there is no ability to vote on amendments to the budget, for example, if some members think it is too high and want to cut it, UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION!
Absurd, in my opinion.
Candidates can and have sent flyers out hinting they will vote to cut the proposed budget and, then, vote for the budget increase without voter penalty.
Here’s an example:
No Republican is running against John Collins this year.
