Mental Health Board -Special Meeting, 10-14-26

The McHenry County Mental Health Board special meeting on October 14, 2026, focused on FY27 funding presentations and preliminary allocation discussions, along with a requested FY26 budget revision. CASA of McHenry County requested $50,500 to support recruitment, training, and oversight of volunteer advocates. Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley described a $4,200 request for services to seven McHenry Township residents, clarifying that it serves 71 children countywide. Fellowship Housing sought support for half the salary and benefits of a family advocate serving its Woodstock program. Warpore presented a proposed community impact center with street outreach space and shared services; it said $225,000 could cover basic first-year occupancy and staffing but not the facility buildout, and board members raised questions about capital funding, the lease, costs, and potential overlap with other providers. Other organizations also presented behavioral-health, disability, youth, and recovery-support programs; several request details were unclear in the transcript.

NAMI requested approval of an approximately $50,000 FY26 budget reallocation after receiving a $1.3 million state grant, explaining that the grant required moving its living-room staff costs to state funding and shifting board-supported funds to other recovery-support expenses. The board discussed this and possible FY27 allocation changes, including proposed increases or reductions for various applicants, but no funding or budget-revision decisions were made in the recorded discussion; NAMI said its revision would be brought for a later vote. The only recorded procedural votes were to take a brief recess and reorder the agenda. No contract awards, vendor selections, or other purchasing decisions were identified.