Mental Health Board -Special Meeting, 10-7-26

The McHenry County Mental Health Board held a special meeting on October 7, 2026, featuring presentations on proposed FY2027 mental-health and substance-use funding. Requests included New Directions’ $325,000 toward phase-two construction of 12 recovery-housing beds in Woodstock (within a $1.485 million project budget, with $980,000 in ARPA funds and approximately $179,000 in CDBG funding); Mathers Clinic’s $50,000 startup request, with $12,059 in clinic matching support, to expand buprenorphine treatment; Pioneer Center requests of $92,000 for a behavioral-health therapist position and $55,000 for a community-inclusion position; and Alano Club building repairs, including an updated window-restoration bid of $7,605 and flooring estimated at $9,900. Other presentations covered proposed services or positions at Clearbrook, the McHenry County Department of Health, Options and Advocacy, Rock in the Spectrum, and Hopeful Beginnings. These were funding-plan presentations and discussion; the board did not make funding awards at this meeting.

In discussing the preliminary FY2027 plan, staff reported $10.6 million set aside for allocations, $10.272645 million in current recommendations, and $327,355 not yet allocated, plus $500,000 budgeted for midyear allocations. Members discussed using unallocated funds or later adjustments to respond to changing service needs, utilization, and possible Medicaid-related impacts, and requested that prior-year funding and utilization be shown side by side. The board approved, by roll-call vote, revisions to the 2026 provider attestation for annual access and opioid services, clarifying that voting members would be excluded from specified provider boards while nonvoting members could serve. A member also raised concern that potential cuts to county transportation programs could limit access to mental-health services; no transportation funding action was taken.