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McHenry County Mental Health Board approves $150 staff payments, directs grant‑writer policy and advances strategic‑plan goals
Summary
At its Feb. 24 meeting the McHenry County Mental Health Board approved one‑time $150 payments to staff who worked in 2025, asked staff to develop policy criteria for expanding access to a contracted grant writer, approved minutes and the consent agenda, and advanced four strategic‑plan goal headings for further work.
The McHenry County Mental Health Board voted Feb. 24 to award a one‑time $150 payment to employees who worked during 2025 and to move forward on governance items including minutes, the consent agenda and next steps for the board's strategic plan.
Board leadership presented the employee appreciation proposal as a use of an existing $2,000 line item in the employee‑relations budget, noting that $2,000 from the prior year rolled into fund balance. In describing the plan, the board president said, “maybe, like, a $150 for those that were here in the year 2025,” and staff confirmed the payments would be taxable. After discussion about eligibility and whether funds could be used for noncash recognition instead, the board approved the measure following a motion and a second by Chris; the chair announced the motion passed.
Melanie, a staff member who presented the finance update, told the board that a late November sales‑tax installment received in February exceeded $1,000,000 and that annual sales‑tax receipts for the year totaled $11,156,000 compared with a $10,000,000 projection, reducing the anticipated fund‑balance drawdown from $1.9 million to about $435,000.
On grant‑writing services, the board discussed widening access to the organization's contracted grant writer beyond currently funded providers. Bridget (staff) said the contractor currently “has capacity” but warned that extending services outside the network could require additional funding; board members asked staff to draft policy criteria and a use framework for consideration at a Committee of the Whole meeting.
The board also reviewed the framework for a new strategic plan, agreeing on four goal headings to guide later work: collaboration/advocacy/awareness; accountability/quality (with members recommending the title emphasize information‑driven decision making); access/coordination; and network resource development/deployment. The chair said the board will break these into topics for deeper discussion at upcoming Committee of the Whole sessions.
Procedural business included approval of minutes for Jan. 27 and Feb. 7 (with minor scrivener corrections noted) and passage of the consent agenda. The board adjourned and scheduled its next regular meeting for March 24, 2026, and a Committee of the Whole for 5 p.m. Thursday, March 19.
What happens next: staff will prepare a draft grant‑writer access policy and redlined policy changes for review at the Committee of the Whole; the strategic‑plan goals will be developed into specific action items in subsequent meetings.
