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McHenry County Board of Health votes to pay monthly meeting stipends to members starting March 1
Summary
After debate on precedent and statutory authority, the McHenry County Board of Health approved a resolution (effective March 1, 2026) authorizing monthly stipends: $140 for the chair and $100 for board members; elected officials on the board are excluded.
The McHenry County Board of Health voted Jan. 12 to recommend a county-board resolution that would provide monthly stipends for Board of Health members, effective March 1, 2026. The measure sets the chairperson’s stipend at $140 per month and member stipends at $100 per month; elected officials serving on the board would not receive compensation.
The chair read a resolution into the record explaining that state statute (Illinois compiled statutes, chapter 55) permits compensation for boards of health and that recent grant funds freed by a vaccine grant created an opportunity to fund the stipend without increasing the department’s 2026 appropriation. Board members recounted a multi-year effort to secure compensation recognition and debated whether stipends would change motivations for serving.
Members raised practical questions about administration: attendance tracking would be required to apply the stipend, payments would be taxable wages, and board members could decline payment if they preferred. Opponents and some cautious members argued public service should be voluntary; proponents highlighted the time commitment, required professional expertise and out-of-pocket costs such as childcare. One member said approving the stipend would allow them to pay for necessary childcare to attend meetings.
The motion to approve the resolution was made, seconded and approved on a roll call; the chair said the stipend will be presented to the Public Health & Community Services Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee before going to the county board for final approval. If approved by the county board, the stipend will be incorporated in future budgets and handled through county payroll procedures.
The board recorded that the mental-health board remains statutorily prohibited from receiving stipends; the resolution and implementation approach were discussed as consistent with state statute permitting board-of-health compensation.
