Conservation District Trustees Want Special Meeting on Budget

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL— From McHenry County Conservation District: County Board Chairman Jack Franks, D-Marengo, is applauding a push by three McHenry County Conservation District Board trustees to call for a special meeting to reduce its proposed 2020 budget.

Board Vice President Vern Scacci and trustees John Henning and Benjamin Washow are requesting the meeting to cut enough to offset the tax increase it came with, and to enter a memorandum of understanding that the FY 2021 budget will reduce MCCD’s property tax levy to its pre-increase amount. The special meeting also is supported by Robert Nowak, R-Cary, the McHenry County Board’s liaison to the MCCD Board.

The announcement comes the day after the County Board Finance and Audit Committee, after more than two hours of presentation and debate, rejected the budget on a 2-4 vote. A majority of the committee questioned the MCCD’s decision to raise taxes when it is sitting on a comfortable fund reserve, and raised concerns about some of its spending practices.

“I think the citizens of McHenry County deserve governments that work collaboratively,” Scacci said of his support for revisiting the budget.

State law limits the County Board’s authority over the MCCD to the appointment of its trustees and an up-or-down vote on its annual budget, but Chairman Franks said he will not put the budget as proposed on the County Board’s agenda.

Even though MCCD’s fiscal year began April 1, state law gives conservation districts a comfortable three-month window to get their budget approved in the event their respective county boards reject them; that leaves seven weeks for the MCCD to propose a budget that will pass Finance and Audit and that Franks will agree to move to the full County Board.

The inflationary property tax increase in the proposed MCCD budget cannot be undone because it already is on this year’s bills, which taxpayers received earlier this week.

Washow, who opposed a tax increase, said he welcomes an opportunity to revisit the budget.
“I voted against increasing our levy, and would like to see a meeting called to reopen the budget process. I would like to see an agreement reached on holding the levy flat or even reducing it,” Washow said.

“A majority of the Finance and Audit Committee stood up for the taxpayers on Thursday, and I’m very pleased that members of the McHenry County Conservation District Board have joined them,” Franks said. “I call on MCCD Board President David Kranz to honor the call for a special meeting – given that his term is one of two on the board that is expiring next month, this request becomes the will of the majority. The sooner we can get this issue resolved, the sooner the MCCD can have a responsible budget in place, and the sooner it can focus its full energies on its vital mission.”

2200 N. Seminary Ave.

Woodstock, IL60098

815-334-4224

JDFranks@mchenrycountyil.gov