After five months of sometimes contentious debate, the McHenry County Board finally approved a new budget Tuesday night.
The spending plan has created controversy because of a series of cuts that had been sought by county officials and because it reduced the size of employee pay raises.
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The $91.8 million budget, approved on a 14-10 vote, calls for laying off 22 full-time employees and several part-timers. It also cuts the county’s general operating budget by 7 percent.
The vote Tuesday followed a move by the board to restore funding for a health clinic that provides adult reproductive and health services.
Those services were put in jeopardy after the board voted Oct. 31 not to accept federal Title X money that provides funding for the clinic. The board replaced the federal grant with $47,000 from its own budget.
Although the motion emphasized services for adults 18 and older, the action may not prevent the health department from offering birth control services to teenagers.
An opinion by the state’s attorney’s office said the board can appropriate money, but can’t control how the department uses it.