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Dear
Neighbors…
Several recent articles in the local newspaper have focused on
Township government. Although I cannot speak for all Townships, I
feel it important to assure our residents of the policies, programs
and procedures of McHenry Township.
Is nepotism rampant in Township government? McHenry
Township adopted an employee manual in 2003 prohibiting
immediate family
members of employees and elected officials from holding full-time
jobs with the Township. Employees and elected officials’ family
members can apply for temporary, part-time positions.
Do Townships perform annual audits? All
government bodies
with budgets exceeding
$850,000, which
includes McHenry Township,
are required to have an annual
outside audit and
report their findings to
the Illinois
Comptrollers office.
Is there oversight of spending? All
expenditures of
the Township and Road District
are reviewed by
the Township Board on a
monthly basis.
Substantiating documentation
is attached to
all requests for payment.
Auditing bills is
the primary responsibility of
Township
trustees.
Do Township services duplicate municipal and county services? Although
other units of
government provide road maintenance,
the costs of
providing those services is no
more expensive
when performed by theTownships, and in some cases less expensive.
Residents in
unincorporated areas of theTownship rely on local road maintenance
services that are
quick to respond in a
blizzard or after
a storm, rather than being
dispatched from
rural Woodstock.
Assessments for all 25,500 parcels in the Township are done at
the Township level by state-certified assessors and staff.
Individuals seeking adjustments and information need only make a
phone call to speak to the policy maker.
McHenry Township provides parks and facilities for the entire
community’s use. Athletic fields, picnic areas, sledding hill and
community centers serve the young, old and in between with
opportunities for recreation and meeting space. Our facilities are
in use seven days a week, night and day by residents living in
municipalities and in unincorporated areas.
Our Senior Center is the only one of its kind in the area.
Working with social service agencies, we provide an array of
services and programs aimed at improving and continuing the quality
of life our seniors deserve. Computer classes, cooking and craft
instruction, exercise, Tai Chi, games, movies and an opportunity to
stay involved and social are what McHenry Township seniors can
expect at their center. Senior advocacy and a nutritional deli and
salad bar are provided by Senior Services of McHenry County and the
Salvation Army Golden Diners.
Is the Senior Bus service wasteful and unnecessary? Our
Senior Bus program provides
badly needed transportation to
over 200 seniors
in the area. Over 11,000
trips took
seniors to grocery stores, doctor
appointments,
cardiac therapy, dialysis and
all the places
those of us with automobiles
take for granted. Buses
are handicap accessible and provide door-to-door service. Although
paratransit costs seem high ($14 per ride), the avoided costs of
institutionalized care and family members’ lost wages should be
included in the analysis. Additionally, our cost per unit of service
is less than the PACE bus service.
Is there a more cost efficient way of providing this service?
McHenry Township has been working with McHenry County to plan and
implement a Comprehensive Plan for Public Transit. The plan was
adopted by the McHenry County Board in 2005, and I have chaired both
the Planning Commission and the Implementation Task Force. By
consolidating various local services and centralizing dispatch, our
hope is to reduce costs and improve existing service.
Our community continues to grow, and the demand for services to
our residents is growing, too. The McHenry Township Board is
fiscally responsible. We scrutinize programs for effectiveness. We
are accessible to our residents. We are the government in YOUR
community.
We welcome your comments and your suggestions. Don’t forget, if
you are in the neighborhood, stop on in.
With warm regards,
Donna A. Schaefer McHenry
Township Supervisor
mchsuper@mc.net
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