Think Beyond the Election: The Vote That May Affect Us for Genertations

I sit with Chairman Buehler at every McHenry County Board meeting. It is a great privilege to serve as your County Clerk. However, over the past two years, this has also become one of the hardest things I do. 

Meeting after meeting, I see good people approach the microphone for public comment and plead with their elected representatives for help. Farmers, homeowners, parents, and long-time residents, who have built lives here and sacrificed to own a piece of this county, express their real fears about industrial solar arrays and battery storage facilities being sited near their homes and fields. They share concerns about property values, health, and children. Then, their three minutes are up, and they sit down… many times with tears in their eyes. 

And nothing changes. This isn’t because their County Board members don’t care, they do. But Springfield has tied their hands. 

It’s heartbreaking. 

In 2023, the Illinois General Assembly passed Public Act 102-1123, which stripped counties of the power to stop commercial solar and wind facilities from being placed on agricultural or industrial land. In January 2026, Governor Pritzker signed Public Act 104-0458, the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act. This act extended that same limitation to battery energy storage systems of one megawatt or larger and shortened county review timelines to just 60 days. This legislative session, Springfield also looked at the BUILD Act, House Bill 5626, which would have taken local control away from residential developments of eight units or fewer. It did not pass, but it's not dead. One bill after another, Springfield is making it clear it believes it understands your community better than you do. 

I have spoken with county board members, legislators, attorneys, judges, former state’s attorneys, and many residents. The pain they feel matches their sense of frustration. The common response was that the only solution is a rewrite or repeal of the legislation. Then, I realized there is a method in Illinois law that allows a county board, by majority vote, to put a non-binding advisory question of public policy on the ballot. This is not a law or an ordinance—just a question put directly to voters. 

I understood that if we did not act now, the next chance would not come until 2027. I approached County Board Chairman Mike Buehler. 

I explained the process and the timeline. The situation was not perfect. Normally, a resolution like this would go through a committee first, with thorough discussion, and that’s how it should work. But our schedule didn’t allow that. Chairman Buehler recognized the urgency and made a decision: he used his authority to bring the resolution directly to a vote of the full County Board instead of letting the chance slip away. That night, they voted to place the question on the November ballot. 

That decision showed real leadership. Skipping the usual committee process is not something a chairman takes lightly. Buehler did this because he believed the residents coming to those meetings deserved an answer before the chance was lost. I am grateful to him and to the Board members who considered the resolution on short notice and voted yes. 

The question that will appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot is this: 

"Should the Illinois General Assembly repeal the state laws that prevent McHenry County and other local governments from exercising full zoning authority over the siting of commercial solar, wind, and battery energy storage facilities and residential developments, and restore that authority to county and municipal governments?"

The people of McHenry County will have their say. 

I want to clarify what this referendum is and what it is not. It is not binding. It will not stop any solar array or battery facility from being built on its own. Instead, it will create a clear public record of where the voters of McHenry County stand. It will show a number that every state legislator representing any part of this county will have to acknowledge and respond to. 

Springfield wrote these laws with a pen. We will respond with a pen… the same pen you use to vote for governor, for state representative, for county offices on the ballot. Your vote on this referendum question may have more long-term importance than almost anything else you mark that day. My faith teaches that knowledge without action is worthless. We had the knowledge. Chairman Buehler and this Board had the determination to act swiftly, even without the usual time to prepare. The Illinois Municipal League has officially opposed these laws that limit local power. The Illinois State Association of Counties has pointed them out as threats to county authority. There are legislators in Springfield who recognize the risks involved. A strong result from this referendum will give them something to support. 

The opportunity to act was limited, and the process was not one anyone would have preferred. None of that changes what the Board has achieved. The voters of McHenry County now have a voice in this matter. Let’s make sure we use it.