McHenry County, Illinois

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Contents

McHenry County is one of 102 counties in Illinois.

[edit] Website evaluation

Main article: Evaluation of Illinois county websites

[edit] The good

  • Annual fiscal reports are available online.[1]
  • 2008 Budget is online.[2]
  • Building and zoning permit information is available.[3]
  • Board meeting minutes and agendas are available.[4]
  • A full listing of county board members and contact information is posted.[5]
  • Tax bills can be viewed and paid online.[6] Tax rates are also posted.[7]

[edit] The bad

Working for accountable government now


[edit] Lobbying

Main article: Illinois taxpayer-funded lobbying

In 2008, McHenry County reported $80,000 spent on lobbying. [8]

McHenry County has lobbying representation from The Ferguson Group.[9] This is for "Washington Representation Services," as outlined in the agreement between the county and the firm. This includes:[9]

  • Annual visit to McHery County to meet with County officials to plan and understand the county's legislative agenda
  • Represent McHenry County's interest with legislators, staff, and agencies
  • Advocate McHenry's positions and monitor, report, and analyze actions
  • Provide office space and staff support to McHenry County personnel when in Washington
  • Train educate officials with regards to legislation and impact of legislation
  • Coordinate with McHenry County's state representatives.

The lobbying firm may request a price increase for each renewal up to 6% of the original agreement. The contract also has a "Most Favored Customer" section which states:[9]

The contractor shall give preference to McHenry County regarding representation on priority issues, i.e. the contracto shall not represent client(s) who oppose McHenry County's position on a spercific issue."
McHenry County contracts with the Ferguson Groupt
Date start Date end Amount
12/01/0811/01/09$93,000.00
12/01/0511/01/06$90,000.00

[edit] External links

[edit] References