McHenry County Green Infrastructure Explained Today 4 - 7 p.m.

A special Open House is taking place TODAY 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. in the McHenry County Department of Planning and Development, located in the McHenry County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road Woodstock.

Interested attendees may arrive at any time to learn about the green infrastructure concepts and how they promote the county’s goals of natural resource protection and intergovernmental cooperation.

This is the presentation of a Green Infrastructure Plan For McHenry County, which the McHenry County Planning and Development Department has been working on since late 2010.

“Green infrastructure” is a term that represents the latest strategies and technologies that support the natural environment, wildlife diversity, and clean water.

The efforts for this plan stem directly from recommendations and policies of the McHenry County 2030 Comprehensive Plan. This plan embraces a collection of ideas and practices known as “green infrastructure” and, through maps and policy recommendations, presents a vision for county wide implementation.

View the draft of the McHenry County Infrastructure plan, please click here.

WHAT:          Open House on the McHenry County Green Infrastructure Plan

WHEN:          TODAY between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm

WHERE:       McHenry County Administration Building Conference Rooms, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock

Government At Work

THURSDAY, MARCH 15-

8:30 a.m. – McHenry County Planning and Development Committee –

Meeting in the Conference Room, County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock.

A request for the waiver of permit fees from a property owner due to unique circumstances in which the requester purchased a home where the previous owner had significant work done without permit fees being paid. The new property owner does not feel obligated to be responsible for fees which should have been collected prior to the sale of the property. A resolution waiving the fees for the current property owner is being presented for approval

A second resolution for the committee to consider is for a contractual agreement with Computer Software Incorporated for developing permitting system software and related services

A third resolution for consideration is related to the Home Investment Partnerships Program allocating unobligated funds of $54,062.00 to be added to the new allocation for the program of $300,000. 

7:30 pm. Crystal Lake Park District Board –

Meeting in the Park District Administrative offices, One East Crystal Lake Avenue, Crystal Lake.

Under unfinished business, the Board will consider construction management phase approvals for the West Beach renovation project as well as a temporary easement for the West Beach Sea Wall construction.

A discussion is also slated regarding the process of review and release of executive session minutes.

Government At Work

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19

8:00 a.m. – Combined meeting McHenry County College Board Facilities and Planning Committee with the Finance and Negotiations Committee –

Meeting in the College Board Room, 8900 U.S. Highway 14, Crystal Lake.

An update is scheduled from RuckPate Architecture Building B Renovations. A discussion regarding Route 14 widening and on Building Automation System.

The Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Building process is also to be considered.

8:30 a.m. – McHenry County Board Planning and Development Committee –

Meeting in the County Board Office, County Administrative Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock.

Interviews are scheduled as well as appointments to various County Boards and Commissions.

Tom Harding is being interviewed for appointment to the McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals.

Four individuals are being interviewed for appointments to the McHenry County Community Development Block Grant Commission. These included: Robert Martens, Cathryn Perfetti, William Swenson, and Craig Adams.

Appointments are scheduled to be made to the McHenry County Historic Preservation Commission and include Patricia Doombosch, David R. Gervais, and William J. Holderfield.

The other matter on the agenda for the Committee are reports as applicable from four commissions including, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Community Development Block Grant Commission, Historic Preservation Commission, and Housing Commission.

6:00 p.m. Environmental Health Advisory Committee of the McHenry County Department Health –

Meeting in the McHenry County Department of Health, 2200 N. Seminary Avenue, Woodstock, Building A.

The Committee is to re-evaluate a list of priorities and establish objectives and topics for 2012.

7:30 p.m. – Crystal Lake Park Board –

Meeting in the Park District Administrative Office, One E. Crystal Lake Avenue, Crystal Lake.

Jacqui Weber, Marketing Coordinator, will present a marketing presentation to the board.

Several ordinances are being presented to abate a portion of taxes on General Obligation bonds.

Leopardo Construction, Inc. is to present a proposal for reconstruction services for the West Beach House project for an amount of $22,584. The Board is being requested to approve this proposal.

Adjustments To McHenry County Permit and Inspection Fees

The McHenry County Board recently approved adjustments to permit and inspection fees charged by the Department of Planning and Development.

Most fees will increase between 1% and 3%.  More significant fee increases were implemented where permit review and processing costs exceeded previous fees.  The new fee schedule also has several new fees and several fee decreases.

The fee schedule includes a new provision to allow property owners to freeze their permits if they are unable to complete their construction process and then resume work later.

The fee schedule also includes a provision to allow applicants to expedite their stormwater permits by paying for the County’s contracted stormwater consultant to review their permit.

The revised fee schedule also increases the penalty fee for after the fact Stormwater permits and zoning petitions from 25% to 50%.  This  fee is designed to encourage property owners to seek permits prior to commencing work on a project. 

The complete list of fee schedule changes can be found on the McHenry County Department of Planning and Development website: www.co.mchenry.il.us/departments/planninganddevelopment.

For more information, please contact Dennis Sandquist, Director of Planning and Development at 815-3344560.

Discussions At Planning and Development Committee Thursday Morning

When the Planning and Development Committee of the McHenry County Board meets 8:30 a.m. Thursday morning in the County Administration Building, a couple discussion items are included on the agenda. One, Administrative Adjudication, has been discussed in prior committee meetings. A slightly revised process regarding code violations is to be considered.

A second discussion matter is Ag Tourism since the present County Zoning Ordinance does not provide a definition of Agricultural Tourism. However, there is a considerable amount of that taking place in the county. At times it seems to be more than Ag Tourism is taking place when horse racing sneaks in. A definition of Ag Tourism has been lacking and the Committee hope to resolve that matter shortly.

Another discussion item is Conditional Use list which provides the number of Conditional Use permits in each of the 17 townships. A total of 552 active conditional uses are in effect in the county. However, 75 of them are for work in a flood hazard area. This conditional use was discontinued following the adoption of the Stormwater Management Ordinance.

Actions may also be taken on recommendations of the Planning and Zoning Department staff for the revision of fines for a number of violations.

Thursday Government Watching

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5
Planning and Development Committee (McHenry County Board)
8:30 am Conference Rooms, County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock
In addition to minor internal restructuring regarding subdivision controls, the committee will review the Fiscal Year 2010-2011 budgets for Planning & Development, Community Development Block Grant and Zoning Board of Appeals

A report regarding wind turbines is also being presented. The Natural and Environmental Resource Committee requested that the Planning and Development Committee consider enacting a moratorium on the construction of large wind turbines until the County's regulations can be modified.

4:00 – 5:00 pm - Legislative Committee of the McHenry County Housing Commission, County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock. A Fair Housing Ordinance is being discussed.
Additionally, an Analysis of Impediments (AI) discussion is slated as well as a video presentation of a Fair Housing AI court case.

Some New Fees Charged By McHenry County Planning and Development Department

     The McHenry County Board recently approved adjustments to permit and inspection fees charged by the Planning and Development (P & D) Department effective June 1, 2010.
     In an analysis conducted by P & D, it was discovered that various application, review, permit, and inspection fees covered only 78% of the cost of providing these services, with stormwater fees covering 49% of services and zoning fees covered 41%.
     In general, building and subdivision fees have not been altered in the fee adjustment. Stormwater and zoning fees were increased 5% for small projects and 25% for major projects. The new fee schedule also includes a 25% penalty fee for after-the-fact stormwater permits and zoning petitions when the development or use was established by the current property owner without the necessary approvals.
     Along with the adjustments in the Fee Schedule, P & D has begun accepting credit card payments. The complete fee schedule changes can be found on the McHenry County website by visiting the P & D page.
     For more information, please contact Cindy Sassaman in Planning and Development at 815/334.4560.