McHenry County Mental Health Board approves annual funding plan, applies COLA to Independence Health access grant
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Summary
The McHenry County Mental Health Board approved its annual funding plan and applied a 6% cost-of-living adjustment to Independence Health and Therapy's access grant after members discussed midyear allocations and fiscal priorities.
The McHenry County Mental Health Board approved its annual funding plan and individual agency allocations at its meeting; it also applied a 6% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to Independence Health and Therapy's access grant.
Board members debated whether some increases should wait for midyear allocations and confirmed there is no formal policy limiting which funding sources can be adjusted midyear. Staff identified an unallocated balance that the board described in discussion as roughly in the mid-hundreds of thousands of dollars to preserve for emergencies or midyear needs.
John Buckley, executive director of Independence Health and Therapy, asked the board during public comment to apply the same COLA used for position grants to the agency's access grant, saying rising costs for psychiatrists and support staff threatened service continuity. "My request is that you consider adding that COLA that you've applied to the position grants to that access grant as well to help us keep pace," Buckley said.
After discussion, board members amended the spreadsheet and voted agency by agency on the presented, amended funding plan. motions were recorded and the majority of allocations passed. The board also approved a budget adjustment for NATCOM travel to allow new staff and up to three board members to attend the national convention.
Votes at a glance (agency amount outcome): - 20th Judicial Circuit Court (judicial services): $328,070 approved - Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital: $200,000 approved - Association for Individual Development: $322,700 approved - Aunt Martha's Health & Wellness Inc.: $400,000 approved - Best Communities (nonprofit): $0 approved (declined funding) - Child Advocacy Center of McHenry County: amount not specified approved - Clearbrook: $385,000 approved - Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northern Illinois: $36,000 approved - Crystal Lake Teen Center NFP: $129,200 approved - Family Health Partnership Clinic: $140,000 approved - "Brief Guide" (as listed on the spreadsheet): $40,000 approved - Independence Health and Therapy (access grant, amended): $406,000 approved (6% COLA applied) - McHenry County Sheriff's Office: $318,000 approved - NAMI McHenry County: amount not specified approved - New Directions Addiction Recovery Services: $682,100 approved - Northern Illinois Medical Center / Woodstock Hospital: $338,000 approved - Northern Illinois Recovery Center: $140,000 (opioid-specific funding later) approved - Special Recreation Association: $50,500 approved - Northern Center Against Sexual Assault: $147,300 approved - Options & Advocacy for McHenry County: $526,020 approved - Pioneer Center for Human Services: $908,820 approved - Rocking the Spectrum: $50,000 approved - Rosecrans (program funding): $728,000 approved - Teach Different: $0 declined - Thresholds: $600,000 approved - Transitional Living Services (TLS veterans): $215,000 approved - Turning Point Inc.: $739,800 approved - Warp (WARP) Corp.: $393,000 approved - Houston Family Center of McHenry County: $294,600 approved - Lyft for Lolly (transportation program): $498,900 approved - New Directions (opioid-specific allocation): $44,100 approved - Additional opioid/OSF-related allocations (Northern Illinois Recovery Center, others): amounts as listed on the spreadsheet approved/declined per individual votes
Discussion and context: board members expressed a preference to preserve some unallocated funds for midyear needs but also recognized the immediacy of requests from providers. Staff clarified that access grants are paid monthly (1/12 of the annual award) and that, under the board's current practice, midyear allocations are not restricted by a funding-source policy. The board noted elevated sales tax receipts as a positive factor for midyear flexibility.
The board followed its stated procedure of voting on each agency as presented on the spreadsheet (as amended during discussion). Most motions were moved and seconded by individual members on the record; for several motions the transcript records only that a motion was made and that the motion passed. The meeting record shows the board adopted the annual funding plan and the related individual motions.
