McHenry County Government: Advance McHenry County Program Opens Monday To Funding Requests

Press release from the McHenry County Government:

10/29/2021 12:12 PM

WOODSTOCK, Ill. – Advance McHenry County, a forward-thinking initiative to invest tens of millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 recovery funding to projects that directly benefit the community, will open Monday to receive applications from qualified groups.

The online application portal, which will be accessible through the Advance McHenry County website at www.mchenrycountyil.gov/advance, will go live Nov. 1. The county, in the first phase of the Advance McHenry County plan, seeks to invest half of the $59.7 million it is set to receive in American Rescue Plan Act funding.

“We’ve been working for many months to get this program off the ground to put these federal funds to work enhancing the McHenry County community’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” County Board Chairman Mike Buehler, R-Crystal Lake, said. “While many local governments are choosing to keep their American Rescue Plan Act funding for themselves to recoup their losses, we’re investing it into thoughtful and impactful initiatives to help McHenry County come back stronger than before.”

Of the $29.8 million to be disbursed in this first phase, $14 million will be allocated to fund applications for infrastructure capital projects, such as broadband and stormwater upgrades. Another $8 million will be dedicated to manufacturing, workforce development and jobs programs, and other economic development initiatives. Just under $3 million will be allocated to programs administered by nonprofit agencies, and another $3 million will be set aside for special districts and other local governments that did not receive ARPA funds.

Each funding request must meet a specific set of criteria, and ones recommended for approval will come before the County Board for final consideration. The application website also will act as a transparency and accountability portal, where the public can track where the money is going.

“The County Board and I are very much looking forward to getting this funding into the best hands, where it can do the most good, and we’re excited to see the ideas that come forward,” Buehler said.

Qualified groups will be able to submit their proposals for this first round of funding through early 2022. McHenry County will be hosting information sessions on Nov. 9 and Nov. 15 for qualified groups; information on these sessions will be posted on the website.

This press release was produced by the McHenry County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.