Where Joe Stands

In his own words, Joe discusses several issues currently facing McHenry County.

When I took my seat on the board, I pledged to reduce the amount of property taxes residents pay for county services. In the past ten years, the McHenry County Board has kept that promise.

Although the County portion of your property tax bill is only about six percent of your tax bill, it has, in fact, gone down over the past ten years. I am proud of the fact that I played a part in that reduction. As recently as last  November, we kept the property tax burden lower by 8 million dollars. The County Board took seven votes to pass a budget. When the budget did pass, the Board had reduced the original proposal by eight million dollars. 

During the past two legislative sessions, the State legislature has insisted on removing local control over zoning regulations. Before Springfield got involved, McHenry County had a Unified Development Ordinance that set standards for any solar farm development. Yet about two years ago, the state legislature removed the County’s authority to regulate solar farms.

Under Springfield’s new law, if a proposed solar farm is 150 feet from the neighbor’s house and fifty feet from the road, the permit is to be issued. During the past year, five solar projects have sued the County Board for denying their solar projects. The County has lost in court every time.

If solar farms everywhere were not enough of an infringement on your property rights, during the 2026 Spring legislative session Springfield proposed the "Build Act”. This piece of legislation converts all single-family residential zoned property into multifamily zoning. If this legislation passes, every single home in McHenry County could be converted into a multifamily apartment building. 

A typical quarter-acre lot anywhere in McHenry County (including inside town boundaries) could be converted into a four-flat. A County one-acre lot would allow 12 housing units. As a county, we must stop the destruction of our lifestyle by the state legislature.