From McHenry County:
McHenry County Wins Distinguished Budget Award
WOODSTOCK, Ill. – McHenry County has again won top honors for budget reporting from a respected international organization of its finance professional peers.
McHenry County received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its current FY 2025 budget.
The award recognizes that McHenry County met stringent and nationally accepted standards and guidelines in presenting its annual budget to policymakers and the public.
This is the 11th time that McHenry County has won the prestigious award; last year, McHenry County was one of a select few in Illinois and across the nation to receive the honor.
“Recognition by the GFOA puts McHenry County in an elite class when it comes to budgeting and transparency,” County Board Chairman Mike Buehler, R-Crystal Lake, said. “At a time when government spending is under unprecedented and justified scrutiny, McHenry County’s taxpayers can be assured that County government is a very responsible steward of their money.”
The GFOA is a nonprofit professional organization that advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources, and practical research for more than 21,000 members.
“I’m honored that our hard work is recognized by GFOA, year in and year out, as among the best,” Chief Financial Officer Kerri Wisz said. “This award is a testament to the Finance Department’s dedicated staff who take our fiduciary duty to the public very seriously.”
The full 2025 budget is on display through ClearGov, a powerful tool that allows viewers to easily examine it in as great a detail as they wish; it can be found on the McHenry County website at www.mchenrycountyil.gov
. Taxpayers also can visit the county’s Financial Dashboard, a simpler tool for reviewing expenses and revenues; it can be found at www.mchenrycountyil.gov/financialdashboard , and dashboard reports are available going back to 2017.
In December, the GFOA also bestowed McHenry County with a Certificate of Achievement on McHenry County for its annual comprehensive financial report for the 2023 fiscal year. The annual report lists a government’s audited year-end fiscal activities in detail, and the award is the highest recognition the GFOA offers in the area of government accounting and financial reporting
