WOODSTOCK, Ill. –McHenry County once again earned international recognition for its award-winning budget document.
The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada bestowed the coveted Distinguished Budget Presentation Award on McHenry County’s Fiscal 2026 budget. This award recognizes that McHenry County met stringent and nationally accepted standards and guidelines in presenting its annual budget to policymakers and the public.
McHenry County has won the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award 13 times over the years.
“This award signifies that McHenry County is among the best of the best when it comes to financial reporting,” County Board Chairman Mike Buehler, R-Crystal Lake, said. “The people of McHenry County deserve nothing less when it comes to showing them, openly and transparently, that their money is being spent wisely.”
The Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is the first of three awards needed to earn the GFOA’s prestigious Triple Crown medallion. The other two include the Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award, and the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. McHenry County won the Triple Crown for the fourth time this past February.
Only a handful of governments in the US and Canada win the Triple Crown – McHenry County was one of only about 450 governments to receive the award for the 2024 fiscal year.
“We work hard to make sure that our financial reports open the books to the public, and we’re honored that the GFOA has recognized the Finance Department’s work with a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award,” Chief Financial Officer Kerri Wisz said. “But this is only one of the three awards needed to win the next Triple Crown, and we look forward to the challenge.”
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 30,000 members, and the communities they serve.
You can review the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget, as well as previous years’ budgets, by visiting the Finance Department's webpage
