# County Board - Special Meeting, 9-24-26

The McHenry County Board held a special meeting on September 24, 2026, focused primarily on addressing the county's challenging 2027 budget. The board discussed the significant budget shortfall of approximately $7.3 million in the general fund and $3.3 million in the capital fund, driven by factors such as high inflation, unfunded mandates, and increased health insurance costs. Various department heads and elected officials, including the Sheriff, State's Attorney, Circuit Clerk, County Clerk, Treasurer, and Probation Director, presented their budgetary challenges, emphasizing the need to maintain essential services despite staffing reductions and cost-saving efforts. The board explored potential expenditure reductions, including hiring freezes, reallocations of costs to enterprise funds, and revisiting service contracts, while also considering revenue options like new growth, CPI adjustments, and a proposed hotel-motel tax for tourism funding. Discussions highlighted the importance of long-term fiscal strategies, maintaining reserve funds, and the risks of relying on short-term borrowing or depleting fund balances. The board agreed to further analyze specific budget reduction proposals and deferred detailed decisions to future meetings, acknowledging the difficulty of balancing fiscal responsibility with service obligations.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Professional Services, Construction & Infrastructure
**Topics:** Grants & Funding, Physical Infrastructure
**Published:** September 24, 2026

### Sources
- [County Board - Special Meeting, 9-24-26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DciDsKJDaYA) - McHenry County Meetings