Full comments can be heard on the McHenry County website audio starting at 00:03:41
Good morning, I have several items I’d like to share with you before we review the agenda for next Tuesday’s voting meeting.
A week ago, County Administrator Peter Austin and I once again had the honor of congratulating the 103 high school interns who just competed the third round of the Manufacturing Pathways Consortium’s Rotational Summer Internship Program. At the event at McHenry County College, Pete and I got to interview a panel of these hard workers as they told their family and friends about their experiences working for local manufacturers.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again – the $717,300 that the County Board allocated three years ago to get this program started is one of the wisest investments made through the Advance McHenry County grant program. Thank you to the students, MCC, and to the area manufacturers who took on these paid interns to give them a taste of pursuing manufacturing careers.
And I’m happy to reiterate that the program will continue next year, courtesy of a workforce development grant awarded by the Illinois Community College Board.
On Tuesday, August 6th, Treasurer Donna Kurtz and County Clerk and Recorder Joe Tirio teamed up with the Heartland Realtor Organization to hold a property tax workshop to educate the public about tax breaks and the many protections available to them.
The event, held at the Realtor Organization’s Crystal Lake office, was well-attended, both in-person and virtually, and Donna and Joe did an outstanding job breaking things down, especially with regard to the new property tax bills and the VIP Taxpayer Program. I’d like to thank both of them for taking the initiative to reach out to the public, and to the Heartland Realtor Organization for providing the venue. Thank you as well to County Board member Mike Shorten for attending.
Yesterday, the Metra Board of Directors held its monthly meeting right down the road at Woodstock City Hall. The city, and Mayor Mike Turner, were very gracious hosts, and I had the pleasure of welcoming the directors on behalf of the county. Our Metra colleagues enjoyed seeing the Square and downtown Woodstock, and it’s always nice when the agencies we work with on a regular basis, be it Metra, CMAP or any other, make the effort to come out here to help forge and maintain close ties.
Starting this month, the Mental Health Board is providing quarterly reports to the County Board in an effort to enhance transparency. You can find it in the reports section of next Tuesday’s agenda. This quarterly report comes in addition to the annual report that the Mental Health Board presents to us. And speaking of transparency, I’m pleased to report that starting in September, Mental Health Board meetings will be streamed and available on the County Meeting Portal.
It's my pleasure to announce that Community Development Administrator Hans Mach has been named to the Board of Directors of the National Community Development Association. The NCDA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association of more than 500 local governments that administer federal community development, affordable housing, and economic development programs through the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
You’d be very hard-pressed to find a more knowledgeable and dedicated Community Development professional than Hans. His appointment is well-deserved, and it brings great honor to himself, the Community Development Department, and McHenry County.
As a reminder, you all should have received the email from Joe Tirio inviting us immediately after the Committee of the Whole this morning to visit the new McHenry County Election Center. The doors will be open from the end of our meeting until 2 p.m. – if you can’t make it, please let Joe know so he can find another time for you.
And finally, I’m extending an invitation to anyone who wants to join me for my next McHenry County Conservation District Hike With Mike. We’ll be walking the trails of the Elizabeth Lake Nature Preserve, in Richmond, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. this Saturday. It’s great exercise and it’s free. There are a few slots left, and you can register through the Conservation District’s online calendar at www.mccdistrict.org.
This concludes my remarks for this morning. After Members’ Comments and Public Comment, I’ll be introducing McHenry County Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Mark Piekos to provide the board with an update on the MCEDC’s activities. This is Mark’s first meeting with us since he took the reins – he’s really hit the ground running, and I’m excited to hear what he has to say.