The issues that matter
to McHenry County families
We are focused on three issues that touch the lives of every family in McHenry County: fiscal accountability, public health, and attainable housing.
Fiscal Accountability: The Truth About Our Budget
McHenry County is facing a serious and growing budget problem — and most residents don't know about it because local elected officials haven't told them.
For years, the McHenry County Board has relied on tax freezes as a political tool, even as the cost of delivering county services continued to rise. County government still costs money. Services still have to be delivered. Employees still have to be paid. So when tax revenue doesn't keep pace with costs, something has to give — and what has given, quietly and year after year, is our county's reserve fund.
McHenry County has been drawing down its financial reserves to fund basic day-to-day operations. That is not a sustainable path. It is the equivalent of a family that stops saving for retirement to avoid making hard budget decisions — and it cannot go on indefinitely.
The County Board members who presided over this situation want credit for holding the line on taxes. What they deserve is accountability for the hole they've dug.
We support county board candidates who will be honest with McHenry County taxpayers about where things stand, develop a credible plan to restore the county's fiscal health, stop making promises they know aren't sustainable, and treat residents like adults who can handle the truth.
Public Health Services: Protecting What Our Families Depend On
When a McHenry County resident struggles with mental illness, substance use disorder, or a public health crisis, they turn to county services. Those services exist because generations of taxpayers funded them, and they represent a fundamental commitment our community has made to its most vulnerable members.
Budget shortfalls driven by years of fiscal mismanagement have put public health services in the crosshairs. When reserves run dry and the County Board finally has to make hard choices, health services for people who can't advocate loudly for themselves are often the first to go.
We support candidates who will protect McHenry County's public health infrastructure, including mental health and substance use treatment programs, preventive care and public health emergency response capacity, services for seniors, children, and people with disabilities, and the frontline workers who deliver these services every day.
Attainable Housing: Keeping McHenry County Accessible
McHenry County has long been a place where working families could afford to live — close to Chicago, with good schools, open space, and genuine community. That character is worth protecting.
But housing costs have been rising across the region, and McHenry County has not been immune. Workers who serve in our hospitals, schools, restaurants, and shops are finding it harder to afford homes close to where they work. Young families who grew up here are being priced out. Seniors on fixed incomes face difficult choices.
We support candidates who will take housing affordability seriously as a county-level priority, pursue smart community-compatible approaches to expanding the housing supply, support the development of workforce and senior housing options, and ensure that McHenry County remains a community where people who work here can afford to live here.
Support candidates who share these values
If you believe McHenry County deserves honest, responsible leadership on these issues, we need your help.
Paid for by Neighbors for a Better McHenry County PAC. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.