McHenry County e-News

McHenry County, IL

10/21/2011

Ken Koehler County Board Chairman

Dear McHenry County Resident:

At this past Tuesday night's County Board meeting, a draft of the McHenry County Proposed Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12) Budget was placed on public review. The proposed FY12 Budget is balanced and maintains a consistently conservative approach to budgeting that earned a Aaa rating and again is built upon prudent revenue estimates.

In developing the FY12 Budget, the County responded to the continued weak revenue environment with a corresponding control on expenses. The proposed FY12 Budget is now on display in the County Clerk's Office and on the County website. It is scheduled to be adopted at the November 15th meeting of the McHenry County Board.

Finally, I would like to thank each and every County Board member for their diligent work and leadership during this long process. If you have any questions with regard to the proposed FY12 Budget, please do not hesitate to contact me or any McHenry County Board members.

Sincerely,

Kenneth D. Koehler

County Board Chairman

County Board Member Spotlight:

Anna May Miller

Anna May Miller was elected to the McHenry County Board in November 2002 and currently resides in Cary. Ms. Miller is Chairman of the Transportation Committee and is a member of the Management Services and Public Health & Human Services Committees. Ms. Miller is the County Board liaison to the Animal Control Advisory Committee and CMAP, and is also a member of the Stormwater Commission and Senior Services Grant Commission. Click here to learn more about Ms. Miller.

Halloween Safety Tips for

Trick or Treating

Children look forward to Halloween for many reasons. They like to dress up in costumes, but mostly they like it for the candy and treats! Who wouldn't? Even some adults still like to go out trick or treating. It makes them feel young and happy again. While this section is mainly guidelines for kids, they are just as useful for adults.

Some parents like to take first dibs on some of the candy that their children have picked up during the night. It's their reward for taking them around from house to house! We suggest that you watch the candy intake when you get home, too much at one time can lead to stomach aches and indigestion. That includes mom and dad as well!

Make your child's Halloween a memorable holiday and they'll have good memories that last a lifetime! If you are taking your kids out for the night, dress up as well. Mom and dad should get into the Halloween spirit as much as the children do!

Trick or Treating should be one of the great adventures of Halloween for children! They can get dressed in scary costumes and go door to door, begging "Tricks or Treats!" from neighbors or at the local mall. Lots of small towns have a Halloween Safe Night at the community center or school so children can Trick-or-Treat safely but going door to door is the stuff of childhood memories! It should be a fun time, without trouble and pain, so following some easy tips can keep your child safe every Halloween:

Children should always go out trick or treating accompanied by a responsible adult. If you have a group of children going, the parents should choose two or three of them to go along and keep an eye on things.

Some towns set a curfew for trick or treating which makes it easier for townsfolk to know who's coming to their door. Make sure and stick to the curfew times and stick to subdivisions and areas with a lot of homes so your children can get in as much trick or treating as possible in a few hours time.

Plan a safe route so parents know where their older kids will be at all times. Set a time for their return home. Make sure that your child is old enough and responsible enough to go out by themselves. Providing them with a cell phone may be a good idea.

Let your children know not to cut through back alleys and fields if they are out alone. Make sure they know to stay in populated areas and not to go off the beaten track. Let them know to stay in well lighted areas with lots of people around. Explain to them why it can be dangerous for children not to do this. If they are going out alone, they are old enough to know what can happen to them in a bad situation and how to stop it from happening.

Instruct your children not to eat any treats until they bring them home to be examined by you. This way you can check for any problem candy and get the pick of the best stuff!

Instruct your child to never go into the home of a stranger or get into their car. Explain why this is not a good idea and what to do if someone approaches them and tries to talk to them.

Make sure your child carries a flashlight, glow stick or has reflective tape on their costume to make them more visible to cars.

Let them know that they should stay together as a group if going out to Trick or Treat without an adult.

Division of Transportation Update

COUNTY ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS UPDATE

Rakow Road Reconstruction - Mainline concrete base course pours (two lanes wide) are complete on the eastbound side of the project. Additional lanes, intersection pours, and curb and gutter are continuing with placement of the asphalt binder course to follow next week. Eastbound traffic only should be on the new pavement at the west end of the project by the end of October. This will allow the construction of additional lanes needed at the McHenry Avenue and Ackman Road intersections for the winter configuration, with all traffic on the new eastbound pavement.

Construction of the new bike path bridge is underway, and a crane is scheduled for October 27th and 28th to drive the piling for the bridge abutments. The prefabricated bridge structure is expected to be set in place during December, after traffic is on the new pavement. The tall crane presence near the Lake in the Hills airport requires coordination with the airport authorities and the Federal Aviation Administration. Work on the noise wall at the NE corner of Ackman Road and Randall Road is expected to start soon.

The McHenry County Division of Transportation appreciates your patience and extra care in driving through the construction zones.

Union Road Bridge Replacement - The bridge and roadway work is complete and was opened to traffic on October 12, 2011.

Lawrence Road Bridge Replacement over Lawrence Creek - Work started on this project on June 27, 2011. The bridge is open to one-way traffic using a temporary traffic signal. The Stage II bridge deck pour took place on October 14, and approach roadway construction is in progress.

Graf Road Bridge Replacement over Lawrence Creek - Work started on this project also on June 27, 2011. The bridge is basically complete and work is in progress building the approach roadways and finishing final grading.

Blivin Street Bridge Replacement - The bridge closure was made on August 8, 2011, with the detour route marked using U.S. Route 12, Wilmot Road and Main Street. Blivin Street will remain open to local traffic only up to the bridge, but the bridge will remain closed for the duration of the construction. Utility relocations were anticipated to start at that time but delays have been encountered. The significant public utility relocation challenges have finally been completed as of October 14, allowing the actual construction to begin. Due to lost time it will not be possible to open the bridge to traffic by the milestone date of November 15. All efforts will be made to open the bridge to traffic at the earliest possible date with completion to occur in the spring of 2012. The contractor has been authorized to work extra hours to expedite the project and construction work is underway as of September 15.

Burlington Road Resurfacing - This project is complete as of October 15, 2011.

Watch for notices of road closures, detour maps, and schedules for these projects at www.McHenryCountyDOT.org.

Visit www.McHenryCountyDOT.org and check out the interactive Construction Map for the latest information or links to specific projects.

County Receives FEMA Funds for February 2, 2011 Blizzard

As a result of one of the worst winter storms in recent memory, McHenry County received a Presidential Disaster Declaration for the February 2, 2011 blizzard. The Presidential Disaster Declaration provided the County with public assistance funds to reimburse the extraordinary labor/personnel costs, equipment costs, and consumable materials and supplies available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. While many businesses were closed and residents were snowed in, McHenry County employees worked around the clock to coordinate County snow removal efforts and assist those stranded due to the storm...read more.

Department of Health Update

Nat'l Lead Poisoning Prevention Week - Oct. 23-29

An estimated 250,000 children in the U.S. have elevated blood-lead levels high enough to cause significant damage to their health. A simple blood test can help detect elevated levels before permanent damage from lead occurs. National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week seeks to raise awareness about lead poisoning, stress the importance of screening children under six years of age who have not been tested, and urge people to take steps to reduce lead exposure.

Lead poisoning comes from lead paint in older homes built before 1978, both inside and outside of the building. When old paint peels and cracks, it creates lead paint chips and lead dust which also comes from opening and closing old windows. Lead dust covers surfaces and objects that children touch and clings to their hands and toys. Children ingest lead dust when they put their hands or toys in their mouths, which is normal behavior for all young children. Once lead poisoning has occurred, the damage to the child's central nervous system (brain) is irreversible. Even low levels of lead in a child's blood may have long-term effects on learning and behavior. Pregnant women are also at risk for lead poisoning.

Children between the ages of nine months and six years are most at risk for lead poisoning which can harm a child's growth, behavior (e.g. hyperactivity, aggressiveness) and ability to learn such as hearing problems or trouble paying attention. Some children may complain of stomach aches, headaches or joint pain. Lead dust cannot be fully removed by normal household cleaning.

Illinois mandates that children six months to six years be screened for lead poisoning by healthcare providers. McHenry County Dept of Health (MCDH) conducts lead screenings at its well-child and WIC (Women, Infants and Children) clinics, holds monthly lead clinics and tests children at the annual Head Start Fair. More information about lead poisoning can be found at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead or by contacting MCDH's Clinic Supervisor Wanda Martinez at 815-334-4500.

National "Medication Take-Back" Initiative - Oct. 29

Do you have unused prescription drugs around your home? McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) encourages employees and residents to take advantage of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) program "National Take-Back Initiative" on Saturday, October 29. The one-day event is from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., at participating law enforcement sites. According to the Partnership for a Drug Free America, approximately 2,500 teens a day use prescription drugs to get high for the first time. Studies show a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet...read more.

McHenry County Sheriff's Office Update

Rachel's Challenge

The McHenry County Sheriff's Office and Woodstock School District 200 will be hosting Craig Scott from Rachel's Challenge. Rachel's Challenge encourages youth to put forth acts of kindness instead of bullying. Rachel's Challenge was founded in honor of Rachel Scott, the first victim at the Columbine High School Shooting in 1999. The public is welcome to attend.

When: Friday, October 28

5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Where: 2121 N. Seminary Avenue

Woodstock, IL

Click here for more information.

Division of Water Resources Update

County Passes Water Resources Action Plan

On Tuesday, October 18, the McHenry County Board unanimously approved the McHenry County Water Resources Action Plan. This plan was developed over a two and a half year time period using a consensus building approach with McHenry County municipalities, townships, and other interested stakeholders. The plan underwent an additional two years of review by the County Board's Natural and Environmental Resources Committee. The Plan is vitally important because the County is solely dependent on groundwater for all of its potable water needs with no other options available...read more

Do not forget to become a FAN of the McHenry County Division of Water Resources on Facebook!

County Recorder Update

Celebrating 100 Years on Computer

Phyllis K. Walters, McHenry County Recorder, and her staff now have more than 100 years of indexed and imaged documents on the Recorder's computer system. Approximately 2.8 million documents containing more than 11 million pages of information dating back to 1909 are available to search, retrieve and print within seconds in the Recorder's Office, or on the internet.

"This is a major accomplishment for our office and we are on target to reach completion of all recorded document indexes and images, dating back to 1839, on computer by 2012," said Recorder Walters. While current documents are recorded on the day they are received and returned within three business days, the office continues to work back-in-time adding information prior to the year 1909.

While all recorded documents can be searched in the Recorder's Office, the office offers the following online services: Recorder's "free search" at www.co.mchenry.il.us/departments/recorder where indexed land records can be searched by grantor/grantee name, without images; LAREDO - a quarterly subscription service for those who access information often, images can be viewed and printed; and Tapestry - visit www.landrecords.net for a pay-as-you-go land records search.

More information on any of these services can be found on the Recorder's website (above) or by calling the office at 815-334-4045, or 815-334-4109.

Don't Pay More for Certified Deeds

The McHenry County Recorder's Office wants to notify county property owners of companies selling certified copies of deeds at over-inflated prices that they do not have to go through a third party, or spend a lot of money to obtain a certified copy of their deed. A certified copy may be purchased for $12, a statutory fee, by calling the County Recorder's Office at 815-334-4128, or by visiting the office located in the McHenry County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock, IL.

Once again, the County Recorder's Office has been receiving inquiries from concerned property owners regarding letters they received from a company offering to sell and mail them a certified copy of their deed for $59.50. While this practice is not illegal, it is unnecessary and expensive.

It is suspected that one company soliciting customers has requested certified copies from the Recorder's Office which is legal under the public information laws. The company then attempts to resell the information to homeowners at a substantial profit.

A form letter sent out by the company also requests credit card information to process the order, something that consumers should always use caution when giving out.

Recorder Walters encourages anyone with a question regarding their deed, or interested in purchasing a certified copy to contact the Recorder's Office at 815-334-4110, or stop by the County Administration Building at 667 Ware Road, Woodstock, IL.

Veteran's Day - November 11, 2011

As we honor all service members and veterans of the United States Armed Forces on Veteran's Day, November 11th, Phyllis K. Walters, McHenry County Recorder, urges all veterans to record their military discharge (DD-214) papers. These valuable documents are needed for veterans to apply for benefits including medical care and VA Loans to name a few.

Recording your DD-214 papers ensures that certified copies of these documents are always attainable at the Recorder's Office in Woodstock. All veterans should be aware that if a DD-214 is lost or misplaced it can take 21 days or longer to receive a new one from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Illinois State Statutes allow County Recorder's to record military discharge papers at no charge. The McHenry County Recorder's Office also furnishes two free certified copies after recording. All other requests for certified copies of DD-214's must be accompanied by photo identification and signature verification.

Recorder Walters wants all citizens of McHenry County to know that significant precautions have taken place in her office to help protect private records from identity theft. All computer images of military discharge papers have been replaced with a marker page which lists only the type of document, veteran's name and number of pages contained in the DD-214. Another preventative measure was to install a computer software program to locate and redact identifiable Social Security numbers on recorded documents. These private numbers can now be hidden from view on the office's computer system and on the web, but the original document is not altered in any way. Walters says, "I have cautioned my staff on the realities of identity theft. The Recorder's Office will continue to take every precaution necessary and enforce strict procedures to insure the privacy and protection of all McHenry County citizens."

For additional information, please contact County Recorder Phyllis K. Walters at 815-334-4109.