WOODSTOCK, Ill. – After six months of thoughtful debate, and a line-by-line scrutiny of expenses and revenues, the McHenry County Board has approved a balanced 2026 budget.

The $288.1 million budget, and the $67.7 million levy, were approved at the Nov. 18 County Board meeting following a 30-day public review period.

 Next year’s budget includes nearly $6 million in cuts, and the elimination of 18 positions through consolidation and attrition.

 The levy includes a 2.9% increase, plus new growth, which is exempt from the tax cap. In 2025, McHenry County government accounted for only 6.5% of total residential property tax bills – a homeowner residing in a home worth $325,000 can expect to pay about $20 more in property taxes collected next year.

 While property owners get their property tax bill from McHenry County, the vast majority of the collected taxes are distributed to local school districts, municipalities, townships, fire protection districts, and other local units of government. Property taxes account for less than 25% of county government revenues.

 Over the past decade, McHenry County has steadily reduced its levy from $79.4 million in 2017 to less than $65 million for the current 2025 fiscal year, which has saved taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.

 McHenry County displays its budget through Questica OpenBook, an interactive tool that allows users to view all levels of the budget, from a high-level summary by category to revenue or expense account detail by fund and department. You can review the 2026 budget, as well as previous years’ budgets, by visiting https://mchenrycountyil.openbook.questica.com/.

 The 2026 fiscal year for McHenry County begins Dec. 1.