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County administrator outlines goals: alert system switch, property sale, economic development and workforce housing work
Summary
County Administrator Scott Hartman presented a package of goals and operational updates, including a planned April 1 switch from Omnilert to Alertus for employee notifications, work toward a purchase agreement for 2+ acres on Bamford Road, continued workforce-housing planning with CMAP, and a multi-year position regrading process.
County Administrator Scott Hartman used the Jan. 13 Ethics Committee meeting to lay out administrative goals and several operational updates for McHenry County.
Hartman reported a pending purchase agreement for roughly 2+ acres of county-owned property on Bamford Road and said he expects to bring a purchase agreement to the committee in a future cycle. He also announced a planned technology change: “We’re gonna be switching over to a new system called Alertus on April 1,” Hartman said, describing Alertus as a replacement for the county’s Omnilert employee-alert system with “a lot more features” and a consistent deployment across government buildings.
On administrative policy, Hartman and HR staff described a planned refresh of the salary administration policy that governs promotions and demotions; the county will review positions on a three-year rotation to improve internal equity and reduce frequent regrading. HR reported that on-site wellness screenings reached 768 employees this year (about 75% participation for IPBC), which county staff presented as a successful outreach and participation metric.
Hartman also emphasized economic development and workforce housing as strategic priorities. He said the county remains a supporting partner to MCEDC and municipal partners, and noted the county’s work with CMAP on a housing readiness action plan that is nearing completion. Transportation projects mentioned as receiving county support included the Algonquin salt dome, the Woodstock Metro Yard and a potential Amtrak station within McHenry County.
Board members questioned whether regrading that increases a job’s grade would trigger immediate compensation changes; staff said the salary administration policy governs such decisions and is being reviewed to provide clarity before changes are implemented. Members also requested data and clarity on departmental headcount and budgets to better understand organizational structure during this review.
Hartman said the county is preparing for several upcoming contract negotiations (four union contracts in 2026) and will advance space studies and operational consolidation in pursuit of cost savings and efficiencies.
The committee asked for future updates on ADA compliance and other items; staff agreed to provide an ADA progress update at the next meeting.
Hartman’s presentation framed administrative, operational and strategic priorities that the board will monitor as part of routine oversight and implementation.
