Busy Tuesday Morning For McHenry County Board

The McHenry County Board is meeting Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m. in the County Board room, County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock.

Recognition for Bill Dwyer

A special recognition is being presented for approval, for former County Board member Bill Dwyer who served on the Board from December 1992 to December 2000. Dwyer, as Chairman of the Transportation Committee, was instrumental in the development of the Rakow Road project.

He was also co-founder of the Crystal Lake Gala, a leader in the formation of the McHenry County Better Road Coalition, the group of concerned McHenry County leaders organized to insure that McHenry County receives its fair share of State and Federal road construction funding.

Dwyer also received the Crystal Lake Jaycees Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service and the Carl Wehde Community Service Award.

Appointments

A number of appointments are being presented for approval, including James P. Kennedy and Jodi A. Borck to the Valley Hi Operating Board with terms expiring June 2013 and 2012 respectively

Board of Health Appointments

Five people are to be appointed to the McHenry County Board of Health including Aurel E. Goglin, Mary J. Foszcz, William A. Stinson, and David R. Banaszynski, with terms to expire June 30, 2014. William E. McNerney is being appointed for a term to expire June 30, 2012.

Ethics Commission Appointment

Two appointments to the McHenry County Ethics Commission include Cherie R. Rickert, and Thomas B. Spencer, with both terms to expire February 1, 2013.

Grant For County Workforce Investment Area

The Board is to consider acceptance of an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Grant of $1,841,614 for the County Workforce Investment Area to be allocated among three programs including $551,289 for Adult programs; $650,860 for dislocated workers program and $639,465 designated for Youth programs.

Low Cost Housing

The Housing Commission is recommending a reserve of $125,000 for McHenry County Habitat for Humanity. This along with the authorization for the County Board Chairman to execute an agreement with the McHenry County Habitat for Humanity for the purchase of land and construction of a single family residence in the county which will provide low cost hosing.

Continued Mental Health Funding Agreements

McHenry County Mental Health Board receives various continuation funding agreements, however, they have various fiscal year dates that do not coincide with the county’s fiscal year. A routine acceptance of an “emergency appropriation” is required in order to use the grants totaling $2,515,559.  This funding provides for teen programs, community services, child mental health, DCFS programs, AmeriCorps, and ISBE.

“Kids Can’t Buy “Em Here” Program

A $6050 grant is being received from the Illinois Liquor Commission for a “Kids Can’t Buy ‘em Here” Tobacco Program. The funding is being provided the Health Department to be used for educating tobacco retailers on minimum-age tobacco laws and how to enforce those laws through compliance checks with underage teenagers.

This grant allows for an educational opportunity between retail vendors, high school students and the Woodstock/McHenry Police Department on the availability of tobacco to the underage population in the County.

The grant has an enforcement component, but there is also a strong educational activity with the retail vendor prior to the compliance check. This is the third year for this program and has been expanded from the  City of Woodstock to include the City of McHenry with 55 retailers of tobacco product overall.

Funding for Veterans Dental and Eye Care

The County Board is being requested by the Veterans Assistance Commission of the County to accept a Veterans Lottery Grant of $35,000. This will be used for the continuation of the Veterans Dental care and restorative eye care programs for low income veterans in the County.

Grant Acceptance To Provide Mobile Veterans Office

The County Board is also being asked to approve acceptance of a $7,228.96 grant from the McHenry County Community Foundation. This is being applied to the costs of renovating the VAC High Top Van into a mobile office to assist those veterans unable to travel to the Woodstock VAC office.

Software Backup

The County Board is being requested to approve an expenditure of $42,803 for Symantec Software Maintenance and Support for another year. This is a necessary item in order to keep the county’s computerized systems functioning.

County Audit for Fiscal Year Ending November 30, 2010

The county audit has been completed by the audit firm of Baker, Tilly, Virchow, Krause, LLP and the CAFR presented to the County. The County Board is being requested to act on the request of the Finance and Audit Committee to accept the audit and file a copy with the Illinois State Comptroller and the County Clerk.

New Director of Workforce Investment Board (WIB)

Director of the Workforce Investment Board, Carl Marten, retired last year. Concurrent with this retirement there was discussions regarding the possible reorganization by folding the WIB board into the States. This was occurring on the Federal level. As a result, McHenry reclassified the WIB Director as a part time position until further clarity was available. In the Interim, Marten agreed to a contractual part-time position.

The Federal agency is now focusing on funding rather than structural change in the organization. As a result, the County is reclassifying the position of the Director of the WIB to a full time position at a pay grade of 12E rather than the previous Grade of 13E.

The 12E grade classification has a minimum salary of $57,450 which would be the salary for a new director. The salary and all benefits are funding from the available proceed s of the Federal Workforce Investment funds. There is no local funding required for this position.

Old Valley Hi Building

A contract with Gavers Excavating for the demolition of the OLD Valley Hi Nursing Home is also to be approved by the Board.