WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Board plans to give the county's workforce agency some financial breathing room in the wake of the ongoing state budget impasse.
The County Board will vote Tuesday to allow the McHenry County Workforce Network and the Workforce Investment Board to defer payments to the county to cover salary and benefit costs for 90 days or until their funding is restored, whichever comes first.
Although the workforce network is funded through a federal grant, the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity cannot legally disburse the funds without a state budget in place, board Director Julie Courtney said.
“We’re 100 percent federally funded. There’s no match from the state of Illinois, but we’re caught up in this mess until there’s a state budget,” Courtney said Monday.
Personnel costs for the workforce network and the board’s 15 total employees will be about $276,000 for July through September, according to county records. The County Board will be made whole once a state budget is approved and the funding is released.
Illinois is in its second month without a budget since fiscal 2016 started July 1 without lawmakers approving one.
Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed the budget approved by Democratic lawmakers, which is about $4 billion short. The first-year Republican governor, who ran on a reform platform, said he will not consider raising taxes to fill the gap without the General Assembly agreeing on implementing pro-business and anti-corruption reforms he’s seeking.
Some immediate budget issues have been staved off. Court orders have ensured state workers still will get paid, and Rauner approved the education portion of the budget so school will start as scheduled. But the workforce network is one of many smaller agencies feeling the pinch.
The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds the workforce network, which offers a number of programs and services for job seekers, and connecting them with employers. The investment board, made up of local business leaders, is a supervisory entity that ensures the skills and services being offered by the workforce network are needed by local employers.
Except for basic services at its 500 Russel Court headquarters, such as Internet access or résumé building, Courtney ordered all other workforce network programs suspended until a new state budget is approved.
“I’m not digging a bigger hole,” Courtney said.
The workforce network is slated to receive just less than $2 million over the next two state fiscal years from the federal grant once it is released, according to records.
The County Board meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the county Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock.