County Aims To Shift Reliance On Property Taxes: Officials

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — McHenry County is seeing tangible results from ongoing efforts to reduce reliance on property taxes, with the Mental Health Board’s new quarter‑percent sales tax generating more revenue than the property‑tax levy it replaced, county officials said this past week.

In 2025, the board collected $11,156,562 in sales tax revenue — about $181,562 more than the $10.975 million it received in its final property‑tax levy before that funding method was eliminated.

Voters approved the switch in a 2024 referendum, eliminating the property‑tax levy that had funded the board and replacing it with a countywide sales tax that adds 25 cents in tax for every $100 of retail purchases, according to county officials.

In addition to the 2025 sales tax haul, the board also received more than $4 million in property tax revenue overlap from before the levy was phased out, bringing total revenue since the sales tax took effect to $15,221,986.

“The budget numbers for 2025 prove decisively that voters approved a win-win when they passed the referendum – they eliminated a property tax levy and replaced it with afairer, more sustainable sales tax,” County Board Chairman Mike Buehler, R-Crystal Lake, said. “What’s more, as McHenry County’s sales tax revenues continue to increase,the Mental Health Board is in a much better position now to address mental health needs and challenges.”

McHenry County has been steadily reducing its overall property tax burden, cutting its tax levy from about $79.4 million in 2017 to roughly $65 million in 2025, as part of broader efforts to ease homeowners’ tax bills, according to a news release from the county.

The Mental Health Board, created in 1967 by voter referendum, funds local agencies that provide services for residents affected by mental illness, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse. For more information, visit www.mc708.org.