McHenry Times

McHenry County Law & Government/Liquor Board met Sept. 30

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Members Present: Mike Shorten, Carolyn Campbell, Matt Kunkle, Patrick Sullivan, Gloria Van Hof

Members Absent: Pamela Althoff, Brian Sager

Portions of these minutes may include content based on transcripts created by Generative AI technology (Otter.ai). Full comments on all agenda items are included in the video recording of this meeting.

1. CALL TO ORDER

Meeting called to order at: 8:30 A.M.

Also present: Peter Austin (TEAMs) County Administrator; Scott Hartman, Deputy County Administrator; Alicia Schueller, Director of Public Affairs; Tiki Schulte, Director of ETSB; Sandra Salgado, Sheriff's Office Business Manager; Kathy Keefe, Circuit Clerk; Seth Krause, Director of Court Services and Probation; Dan Wallis, Trial Court Administrator; Randy Sinitean, Assistant Director of ETSB; Alex Wall, County Admin Intern; David Christensen, Director of EMA; Brooke Loyd, EMA Chief Deputy; Chief Judge Feetterer.

2. MINUTES APPROVAL

2.1 Law & Government/Liquor - Public Meeting - Aug 26, 2025 8:30 A.M.

Mover: Kunkle

Seconder: Sullivan

To approve the minutes for the August 26, 2025 meeting.

Aye (5): Shorten, Campbell, Kunkle, Sullivan, and Van Hof

Absent (2): Althoff, and Sager

Recommended (5 to 0)

3. PUBLIC COMMENT

None.

4. MEMBERS' COMMENTS

None.

5. NEW BUSINESS

None.

5.1 New Liquor License, Manager and/or Amusement License Requests

6. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Alicia Schueller, Director of Public Affairs, joined the committee for the report.

DEADLINES AND PROCEDURAL ITEMS

The General Assembly’s Veto Session will be held from Oct. 14 – 16 and Oct. 28-30.

ILLINOIS LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

Transit

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) experienced a fiscal cliff of its own beginning on August 24, 2025. SEPTA cut service levels by 20% and was sued by a consumer advocacy group which alleged that the cuts disproportionately impacted minorities. The court reversed the cuts but allowed SEPTA to increase fares by 21.5%. During that time, a private company subsidized train runs for a Philadelphia Eagles game, and eventually Pennsylvanian Governor Shapiro authorized the transfer of nearly $400 million from the state’s construction project fund, a two-year fix.

Negotiations to resolve the transit fiscal cliff before the RTA are ongoing.

Energy Legislation

The General Assembly attempted to pass on Energy Omnibus bill through SB 40, which passed in the Senate but did not carry in the House. Since then, two additional energy bills have been filed, HB 4116, which has not been assigned, and SB 25 Amendment 2, a shelled bill which has been assigned to the Executive Committee. The bills each span over 800 pages, and upon a preliminary review, appear to mirror one another on the portions pertaining to counties. They appear to offer counties limited zoning powers on energy storage systems as has been done with solar and wind farms. The energy storage system applicants are required to file farmland, drainage, and decommissioning plans and repair and compensate for crop losses or agricultural damage caused during construction or decommissioning. They are also to provide phased in financial assurance bonds, too. These provisions for the energy solar system applicants directly correlate to the requests the ISACo Wind and Solar Facility Task Force made to improve the solar and wind farm legislation.

The Illinois State Association of Counties has developed a thorough report on HB 4116, and staff will continue to monitor the legislations’ progress. ISACo will also reach out to the legislative sponsors to see if there is an appetite to allow counties to approve solar and wind farm zoning cases administratively since the county boards’ authority to regulate has been removed and a no vote would result in litigation.

FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

FY 26 Budget and Community Project Funding

Staff continues to monitor the federal budget impasse which may result in a federal government shutdown. Staff is also evaluating potential impacts to the County in the event of a protracted shutdown. Should the impasse be resolved by a continuing resolution, McHenry County would not receive the $1.2 million in Community Project Funding for the Police Social Work Program Headquarters.

Workforce Network Funding (H.R. 5304 & S. 2587)

House and Senate committees have passed two different potential appropriations bills addressing Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding in the federal government’s 2026 fiscal year. In the House bill, the WIOA funding for youth and adult programing would be eliminated, but dislocated worker program funding would remain. This past fiscal year, the McHenry County Workforce Network received $551,121 in adult program funding, $557,779 in youth program funding, and $871,581 in dislocated worker program funding, representing a potential $1,108,900 loss to McHenry County for the next federal fiscal year. The Senate bill would keep WIOA funding nearly the same as it was in the previous budget year.

FEMA Act (H.R. 4669)

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the FEMA Act of 2025 by a bipartisan vote of 57-3. The bill, should it become law, would elevate the Federal Emergency Management Agency and make it a federal department instead of an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, a move intended to expedite disaster response and enhance coordination across agencies. FEMA would also be empowered to assist local governments with cyberattacks and public health emergencies, and its assistance would shift from a reimbursement-based model to a grant-based system. Overall, the legislation is geared toward streamlining disaster response, and McHenry County Emergency Management Agency Director David Christensen will provide additional details on the legislation at the October 28, 2025 meeting.

McHenry County 2026 Legislative Program

Staff encouraged department heads and constitutional officers to begin monitoring their professional organizations’ upcoming legislative programs for content that impacts counties and sharing them so they may be supported in the County’s next legislative program.

7. ROUTINE CONSENT AGENDA

7.1 Resolution Supporting the Award and Implementation of a Countywide Next Generation 9-1-1 System (29)

Pulled for discussion by Ms. Campbell.

Tiki Schulte, Director of ETSB, and Randy Sinitean, Assistant Director of ETSB, joined the committee to discuss the resolution.

Mr. Sinitean, Assistant Director of the McHenry County ETSB, presented the information to the committee, explaining that a new 911 system had been implemented in 2019, which is now approximately five years old and requires a hardware refresh. He noted that due to the high cost of the hardware refresh, an RFP (Request for Proposal) was released in June, and six responses were received. Mr. Sinitean explained that ETSB staff, emergency communication managers, and public safety telecommunicators reviewed the submissions and selected Intrado as the vendor.

He stated that the resolution requested an amount not to exceed $1,675,000 for the new system. He clarified that funding for the project is already included in the current fiscal year’s budget and that the fees are handled through a surcharge fund specifically designated for this purpose. Mr. Sinitean emphasized that while a hardware refresh is not expected to be required every five years, this was an opportunity to evaluate new technology. He highlighted that the new 911 system will provide additional functionality, including enhanced reporting features and text-to-911 translation with automatic language detection and two-way translation.

Ms. Schulte discussed that technology changes rapidly, making hardware obsolete within a few years, so regular updates are necessary to keep pace with advancements. She explained that the new system is expected to be more robust and offer features not previously available. It was confirmed that the item was consistent with what had been presented during the budget process.

Mover: Campbell

Seconder: Kunkle

To support McHenry County ETSB with the award and implementation of a Countywide Next Generation 9-1-1 System with a 5-year maintenance contract.

Aye (5): Shorten, Campbell, Kunkle, Sullivan, and Van Hof

Absent (2): Althoff, and Sager

Recommended (5 to 0)

7.2 Resolution Authorizing an Agreement with Wellpath to Provide Healthcare for the Correctional Facility for Two Base Years (12/1/25-11/30/27) and Two Additional Option Years (12/1/27-11/30/29) (32)

Pulled for discussion by Mr. Kunkle.

Sandra Salgado, Sheriff Business Manager, joined the committee to discuss the resolution.

Mr. Kunkle asked for clarification on the resolution.

Ms. Salgado explained that the inmate healthcare contract was the largest expense in the jail, totaling $2.4 million, or approximately $2.6 million when including offsite and pharmaceutical costs. The Sheriff wanted to explore alternatives to the traditional vendor model, so a consultant was hired to evaluate the feasibility of creating an in-house medical department and to prepare RFP documents. County Administrator Peter Austin reached out to local healthcare networks, including Northwestern and Mercy.

Northwestern declined to participate, but Mercy engaged in the RFP process.

A total of five RFP responses were received, the most since 2014, and two vendors—Wellpath and Mercy—were selected for interviews. Mercy did not provide dental care, which would have required a separate RFP, and expressed concerns about liability and offsite services, preferring inmates be treated at Mercy hospitals. This raised concerns for the county due to proximity and emergency response needs.

Ms. Salgado explained that while the current Wellpath contract included a $2,000 cap on offsite services—where the vendor pays the first $2,000 and the Sheriff’s Office covers the remainder—this structure had become less effective as offsite service costs increased.

Negotiations with Mercy resulted in no cap on offsite visits (except for certain long-term care costs), which was advantageous, but Mercy only bid for one year, creating uncertainty for the county. Wellpath, the current vendor, had previously attempted to increase costs by $800,000, but the county pushed back and enforced the existing contract. The new contract with Wellpath covered two base years with modest increases over four years, totaling $3.1 million—less than what would have resulted from the proposed $800,000 increase.

Mr. Kunkle noted that by going through the full RFP process, the county was able to maintain a known vendor while avoiding a significant cost increase. He stated that the enhanced contract represented a better deal for the county and preserved leverage with other vendors for future negotiations.

Committee members commended the Sheriff and staff for their proactive and thorough approach, noting that the competitive process resulted in more favorable pricing and terms. Ms. Salgado agreed, emphasizing that the Sheriff’s diligence and willingness to explore all options—including in-house and external solutions—led to a positive outcome.

Members expressed appreciation for the staff’s work in evaluating every option and ensuring that the process remained competitive, resulting in a stronger contract and long-term fiscal benefit for the county.

Mover: Campbell

Seconder: Kunkle

Authorization to enter into a contract with Wellpath to provide inmate healthcare for two base years and two additional option years.

Aye (5): Shorten, Campbell, Kunkle, Sullivan, and Van Hof

Absent (2): Althoff, and Sager

Recommended (5 to 0)

7.3 Circuit Clerk Resolution Authorizing Emergency Appropriation from Circuit Clerk Court Document Storage Fund Balance for Digital Preservation of Historical Court Record Books & Microfilm, plus Development of Online Archive Site (41)

Pulled for discussion by Ms. Campbell.

Kathy Keefe, Clerk of the Circuit Court, joined the committee to discuss the resolution.

The resolution involved using the Circuit Clerk Court Document Storage Fund balance for the digital preservation of historical court records, including books and microfilm, and for the development of an online archive. Ms. Keefe explained that the document storage funds were used annually to reduce physical storage in archives, with the goal of digitizing as many records as possible. However, some records, such as historical wills and certain mental health files, could never be destroyed due to Supreme Court rules.

Many of the records dated back to the 1800s and were physically fragile. Some could be destroyed after microfilming, allowing for a reduction in storage needs. The selected vendor specialized in historical records and used a photographic method that did not damage the books—unlike previous scanning efforts that required disassembling them. This preservation method was essential for maintaining both the integrity and historical value of the documents.

The project targeted approximately 400 volumes of books and records that had not been digitized before.

There was special community interest in the immigration, naturalization, and probate records, all of which were included in the project. Ms. Keefe noted that some of this work built on old microfilm created by the Mormon Church in the 1980s, which remained stored in the archives. The vendor also mentioned that such records were valuable resources for genealogy websites.

Once digitized, the records would be made available online through a vendor-hosted website, which the county would link to. The data itself would remain the property of the county. There would be an ongoing annual maintenance cost of approximately $15,000 for the vendor’s website. In the future, the county could potentially develop its own website to eliminate this cost, as had been done with other IT projects.

While some index books were already available online, the majority of the targeted books had never been scanned and were largely unknown to the public. Digitizing them would significantly increase access for researchers and genealogists while also improving efficiency for staff responding to record requests.

Funding for the project came directly from the document storage fund, which was financed through surcharges on civil and criminal cases and earmarked for storage and digitization purposes. The initiative was designed both to preserve county history and to manage archive space more efficiently.

Mover: Kunkle

Seconder: Campbell

The Circuit Clerk is requesting authorization for a project to digitally preserve approximately 270,000 pages of court index and record books dating from 1838 to 1992, in addition to approximately 200,000 pages of scanned Probate, Immigration and Naturalization records dating from 1840 to 1919 which were microfilmed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Genealogical Society in the 1980s, and the development of a McHenry County Court Online Archive site which will be made available to the public for genealogical and historical research, using existing fund balance in the Circuit Clerk Court Document Storage Fund, which is funded by fees charged on all case filings specifically created to "defray the expense, borne by the county, of establishing and maintaining a document storage system and converting the records of the circuit court clerk to electronic or micrographic storage." "The fund shall be audited by the county auditor, and the board shall make expenditure from the fund in payment of any cost related to the storage of court records, including hardware, software, research and development costs, and personnel costs related to the foregoing, provided that the expenditure is approved by the clerk of the court." (705 ILCS 135/10-5(d)(2))

Aye (5): Shorten, Campbell, Kunkle, Sullivan, and Van Hof

Absent (2): Althoff, and Sager

Recommended (5 to 0)

7.4 Resolution for Utilizing Fund 377 to Cover the Expense of Case Management Enhancements for AOIC Mandated Data Collection (43)

Pulled for discussion by Ms. Campbell.

Seth Krause, Director of Court Services and Probation, joined the committee to discuss the resolution.

The resolution sought to use the balance of the Probation Service Fee Fund (Fund 377) to pay for enhancements to the case management system, specifically to support data collection mandated by the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC). Mr. Krause explained that this was part of a long-term, ongoing project that had been in development for several years.

The planned enhancements included integrating the system with the county’s drug testing vendor, ensuring the system could manage both case management and drug testing compliance data. Funds for this project were already included under a purchase order in the current fiscal year’s budget, and the resolution would release the purchase order so that the enhancements could be completed.

During the discussion, Ms. Campbell asked whether the funding source was already budgeted or based on existing revenue. Mr. Krause confirmed that the project was funded through existing, accumulated funds specifically designated for these types of improvements.

Mover: Kunkle

Seconder: Sullivan

To approve the utilization of Probation Service Fee Revenue in the amount of $124,150 for modifications and enhancements of the department’s case management system.

Aye (5): Shorten, Campbell, Kunkle, Sullivan, and Van Hof

Absent (2): Althoff, and Sager

Recommended (5 to 0)

7.5 Resolution Authorizing a Contract with CorrectiveSolutions for On Site Drug Testing Services for the Department of Probation & Court Services (43)

Pulled for discussion by Ms. Campbell.

Seth Krause, Director of Court Services and Probation, joined the committee to discuss the resolution.

The resolution authorized a contract with Corrective Solutions, the current vendor since 2022, to continue providing on-site drug testing for Probation and Court Services. Mr. Krause explained that before this vendor partnership, officers—who are college-educated and highly skilled—spent significant time conducting drug tests themselves, which was not the best use of their time and expertise.

Since contracting with Corrective Solutions, the vendor has handled all aspects of the drug testing process, allowing officers to focus on their core duties. The vendor also provides a more thorough and consistent testing process, using testing cups that meet “All Rise” standards, a national organization that sets best practices for problem-solving courts, particularly regarding drug testing.

The current contract was set to expire in November 2025. The new contract extended services for two years with two optional renewal years and was already incorporated into the 2026 budget. Funding would primarily come from the Probation Service Fee Fund, totaling $215,000, with a small potential general fund contribution to cover any cost overages if needed.

Mr. Krause noted that the contract did not go to RFP this time because of the strong integration and success with the existing vendor since 2022. The partnership was described as efficient and reliable, with significant value gained from continuity.

He also highlighted a major upcoming cost-saving development: the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services was expected to assume responsibility for pretrial drug testing in early fiscal year 2026, substantially reducing the County’s costs with Corrective Solutions.

Most testing was conducted for problem-solving and specialty courts, where participants were required to undergo randomized testing multiple times per week. Corrective Solutions implemented a fully randomized system that prevented clients from predicting test days, promoting accountability and genuine sobriety. Weekend testing was conducted in collaboration with the Woodstock Police Department.

Ms. Campbell sought clarification regarding the impact on the general fund, and Mr. Krause confirmed that only a small backup amount would be necessary and that the total cost would remain within budget.

Mover: Campbell

Seconder: Kunkle

Aye (5): Shorten, Campbell, Kunkle, Sullivan, and Van Hof

Absent (2): Althoff, and Sager

Recommended (5 to 0)

8. PRESENTATION

None.

9. OLD BUSINESS

None.

10. REPORTS

None.

11. EXECUTIVE SESSION (AS NECESSARY)

None.

12. ADJOURNMENT

Mover: Kunkle

Seconder: Van Hof

To adjourn the meeting at 9:11 A.M. -TCCazares

Aye (5): Shorten, Campbell, Kunkle, Sullivan, and Van Ho

Absent (2): Althoff, and Sager

Recommended (5 to 0)

https://pub-countyofmchenry.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=159368