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McHenry County Mental Health Board outlines funding, opioid‑settlement allocations and cautious spending plan
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Summary
The McHenry County Mental Health Board told county supervisors it can sustain current program funding through careful forecasting after switching to a sales‑tax levy; board leaders also described how opioid‑settlement proceeds and investment earnings are being managed and used to top up grants.
The McHenry County Mental Health Board presented a budget and program overview to the County Board Committee of the Whole on April 16, saying it can maintain current client‑service funding while watching sales‑tax receipts and reserves.
The presentation, led by Executive Director Bridgette Guinan and Board President Carolyn (Caroline) Scofield, noted the board moved from a property‑tax levy to a sales‑tax levy after a 2024 referendum and funded more than $10.5 million in community services in 2025. Fiscal operations manager Melody Duran told the board the mental health board intends to preserve a fund balance and forecast revenue conservatively while continuing flat allocations for at least two years.
Guinan and Duran said the board has used forecasting tools to plan allocations and is managing opioid‑settlement dollars separately from its regular annual funding. "The opioid dollars come in to the state's attorney's office, which has entrusted the Mental Health Board with allocating those funds," the presentation said, and the board has distributed settlements to programs that provide prevention, treatment and recovery services.
Board members asked whether the opioid funds arrive regularly and how much the county can expect; presenters said the timing and amounts vary because settlements are received episodically. Duran said known settlement receipts extend through 2033 and that the board had distributed roughly $1.9 million of the $2.1 million received to date, while projecting settlement receipts of about $6.9 million through 2033.
The presentation also described how the board manages investment and reserve dollars. Duran said about $6 million is invested with the county treasurer to earn returns for annual funds; some earnings were intentionally used to increase grant awards for senior service applicants this year. County board member James Kearns questioned applying earned interest now rather than reserving it for next application cycles; presenters said the interest is restricted to senior‑services uses and that staff intentionally augmented awards with those earnings while retaining some funds to cover possible staffing or operating needs.
The Mental Health Board emphasized its statutory duties under the Illinois Community Mental Health Act (the "708" boards), including annual budgeting, needs assessments and three‑year strategic plans. Board leaders also announced a public town hall scheduled for May 7 in Crystal Lake and said the board will seek technical opportunities to expand services while remaining cautious about large new commitments until sales‑tax revenue patterns stabilize.
The board closed the session with an offer to supply slides and data to county board members, and presenters said the Mental Health Board will seek county support at an upcoming county meeting for a one‑time employee bonus that the mental health board approved to recognize transitional work in 2025.
