November Ballot May Include Advisory Referendum

WOODSTOCK, IL - Voters may get an advisory referendum on November’s ballot to reduce the size of the McHenry County Board.

The Northwest Herald reports: A proposal working its way through its Management Services Committee would put a nonbinding referendum on the ballot to reduce the size of the 24-member board. While the original referendum proposal is to halve it to 12 members, the committee could tweak it depending on research and debate, committee Chairwoman Tina Hill, R-Woodstock, said.

“There’s going to be something [on the ballot]. It just depends on what it’s going to look like,” Hill said after Monday morning’s meeting.

The County Board in past years has rejected the idea of either downsizing or changing its current makeup of six four-member districts. However, a visit last year to the National Association of Counties annual conference by McHenry County Board Chairman Joe Gottemoller, who originated the proposed referendum, gave the idea new life.

When Gottemoller learned Los Angeles County is run by a five-member board of supervisors – the county’s $28 billion annual budget is greater than half of the states in the U.S. – he said McHenry County has no excuse not to downsize.

The size of the County Board has remained the same since 1972. Shrinking the County Board’s size would result in about $250,000 in savings per year, according to the article.

More via NW Herald

READ MORE HERE: McHenry County Primary Results are Finally In