McHENRY COUNTY – On Tuesday, April 20 McHenry County Board Chairman Mike Buehler, gave his first ever State of the County Address. The presentation which was streamed via the county’s YouTube channel and available to watch on the McHenry County Government’s Facebook page, allowed Buehler to give some insight into what the county has done in terms of overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic.
Buehler stated that while he would normally not deliver the annual address until his first full year in office, the magnitude of the ongoing pandemic called for a much earlier update to the public.
“McHenry County has lost 267 people to this disease. That’s 267 families that lost loved ones too soon, never to be the same. Fortunately, the storm is starting to break. Thanks to Operation Warp Speed, a safe and effective vaccine was developed in record time and more and more people are being inoculated every day. Our metrics continue to move in the right direction. As a result, our businesses are finally reopening and more people are returning to work. Our schools are returning to in-person learning. Sports and leisure events are returning,” Buehler said.
He continued by stating that due in large part to McHenry County having a sound fiscal policy and through years of prudent budgeting, they were able to continue to remain financially sound despite the havoc brought on by the pandemic.
However, some community members were not so fortunate, which Buehler acknowledged leading to his response into how the county invested $1.9 million in stimulus money to assist those who had fallen behind in rent or utilities. The result was the McHenry County Emergency Utility and Rental Assistance Program.
“Since the program went live last month, hundreds of renters and landlords have applied for assistance to keep roofs over their heads and their lights on and water flowing,” Buehler said.
As of 2021, the state of addiction has increased, according to Buehler, which he described as eye-opening.
“Last year, overdose deaths in McHenry County increased markedly after two years of significant decline. Alcohol sales nationwide rose five-fold in April of last year and stayed at almost double 2019’s rate as late as October,” he said.
Despite some hardships, Buehler expressed his gratefulness for various departments within McHenry County and other neighboring facilities that allowed for the county to take some innovative steps such as opening its first dedicated year-round homeless shelter.
The county has been able to create various other loan and grant programs that have assisted at least 92 struggling businesses in the area. Though Buehler stated that assistance was not just by means of financial aid, but through partnerships with organizations within the county that would take advantage of forward-thinking initiatives and business friendly policies.
Buehler highlighted various county projects such as the county’s decades old vision of having their own direct access to the interstate highway system. He also mentioned how the twoyear widening of Randal Rd. in Lake in the Hills and Algonquin, is slated to be completed later this year.
McHenry County is expected to receive $59.7 million over the next two years, under the American Rescue Plan Act signed into law last month, according to Buehler. Some of that money will be used to make the county whole, but Buehler made it clear that a significant majority of it will be allocated back to the community to continue to aid residents that need it.
“As proof of this county’s government years of thoughtful and forward-thinking financial management, we will not only be financially healthy in 2022, but also debt free. That bears repeating. By the end of next year, McHenry County will have no debt on its books,” Buehler stated.
Additionally, Buehler explained that there have been internal changes into how local governments will be able to operate in the future.
“We have a new way of doing things on the county board…Working together toward a common goal is going to be more important in the coming year than ever before. This county board along with staff and the NIU Center for Governmental Studies, is in the process of forming a new strategic plan that will help us chart a way through these uncertain times,” he said.
“In December, we partnered with the McHenry County Council of Governments to task executive director Chalen Daigle, with implementing the recommendations of a study of examining ways that local governments can cooperate and collaborate to provide joint services…It is imperative that we build these partnerships and continue the spirit of cooperation to find the best ways to deliver services as economically as we can.”
Buehler ended his address explaining how every generation has had to face its challenges, however these challenges were eventually overcome, making the nation stronger in the process.
“We have met it together. We are beating it together, and we will emerge victorious together and we will do it the way we faced all of the other [challenges] working as a team together.”
