Effective Tax Rates in McHenry County

The only way to compare property tax burdens is to divide one’s property tax bill by the value of one’s home. That’s what the Chicago Tribune did in November of 2015. The effective tax rates found for McHenry County towns … Continue reading

Motorcyclist Dies near Prairie Grove

A press release from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office: Sheriff’s Office Investigates Motorcycle Traffic Crash – October 3rd A 47-year-old Island Lake man was hospitalized in stable condition Saturday night after being transported by ambulance from the scene of a one-vehicle crash … Continue reading

Comparing City & Village Tax Takes

Yesterday, we took a look at what school districts requested to be collected last year and this year. Today we’ll look at municipalities. A number of McHenry County municipalities overlap into adjacent counties. If you see “McH only,” that is … Continue reading

Income Tax Revenue Sharing Loss Would Cost McHenry County Governments $16.9 Million

The McHenry County Council of Governments (McCOG) has calculated how much money each village and city in the county would lose in state subsides should Governor Bruce Rauner’s budget recommendations be enacted. The Govenror suggests cutting the subsidy in half. … Continue reading

Candidates for McHenry County Cities and Villages

I’ve finally pinned down all who are running for municipal office in cities and villages having all or part of their boundaries within McHenry County. The names have been listed in ballot order.  That makes little difference unless there are … Continue reading

Filings for Municipal Office

Here’s my best effort to find out who filed for village and city offices in McHenry County’s thirty municipalities. Most who didn’t file last week probably waited until late Monday afternoon. Why? Best place on the ballot is first.  With … Continue reading

Oakwood Hills Again Negotiating for Gas-Powered Electric Generating Plant

Oakwood Hills is a residential village between Cary and Prairie Grove with about 2,000 people. There is no commercial district to provide sales taxes, so property taxes, state income tax and Motor Fuel Tax revenue sharing, plus vehicle stickers provide … Continue reading

Crystal Lake’s Hikes Taxes Almost 10%–More Than Any Other City or Village

Municipal elections were last spring.  The next ones are not until next spring. Perhaps that explains why the City of Crystal Lake decided to hike taxes so much this year–a non-election year. There will go up 9.8%. McHenry, on the … Continue reading

Prairie Grove School District Board Meeting Merits Visit from Regional Superintendent of Education, Huge Going Away Presents Approved for Retiring Teachers

Although I was encouraged to attend the Prairie Grove School Board meeting last night, I decided to go to the McHenry County College Board meeting instead. Someone in attendance shared this description of what went on: You should have been … Continue reading

Concealed Carry Instructors in McHenry County

The Illinois State Police has the following McHenry County residents listed as approved concealed carry instructors: Name City Phone Email Trost, Paul Huntley (847)287-8411 paultrost@gmail.com Jones, Michael Hebron (815)759-1900 mjones@mc.net Jonak, Johann Cary (512)644-7023 Johann@Windycitytactical.com Danielowski, Ronald Island Lake (847)452-0951 … Continue reading

Teacher Union Election Campaign Continues at Prairie Grove Grade School District Meeting – Part 1

It started with the 22-month long contract negotiations between the Prairie Grove Elementary School Board and the Illinois Education Association affiliate called the Prairie Grove Teachers Association. Word is that there were harsh words during the negotiations until at the … Continue reading

Former Prairie Grove School Board Member Laura Domoto Urges Attendance at Tuesday Meeting as Four New Board Members Assert Power

An email from former and just defeated Prairie Grove School District 46 Board  member Laura Domoto about the Tuesday, May 14th, Board meeting. Dear Friends, Your child’s education and programming at Prairie Grove Schools are being threatened. The newly elected … Continue reading

Prairie Grove Teachers Take the Offensive

The Prairie Grove Teachers Association is in the news today, so I thought you might be interested in the latest message from the teachers’ union.  If you want to see more about the impasse, check out the unions’ web site. … Continue reading