Marengo, IL Park District Recap: October 22, 2026

The Marengo Park District board voted Thursday to move its information technology contract to a top-tier plan that will cost about six times what commissioners approved in July, after the interim director told them the district's server is 14 and a half years old and moving it to the cloud would otherwise be billed by the hour.

The board also approved the August 27 minutes, the August and September financial reports, a first formal engagement letter with the district's law firm, and a second vending machine, and heard that the district's annual audit is running on a 60 day state extension. Four of the district's five commissioners were present, and all five roll call votes were unanimous. The board then went into closed session on a personnel matter, and said no action was expected afterward.

IT Contract Goes From $300 to $1,792.56 a Month

In July the board approved a $300 a month managed IT agreement with LeadingIT, a Woodstock firm. Interim Director Amanda Damisch's memo says that agreement was never put in place before her predecessor left, and that it did not include technical support, which LeadingIT bills at $185 an hour. Damisch told the board that once setup was completed on September 15, apart from a few remaining items, it was clear the agreement was not enough for what the district needs.

Her revised memo, dated the day of the meeting, recommends two things. The first is LeadingIT's Workplace Complete plan at $1,540 a month, which includes help desk support and project labor. The second is a 36 month hardware lease at $252.56 a month that replaces two failing computers (a laptop for the director and one for the staff member who handles payroll and finance), adds a 48 port network switch and three Wi-Fi access points, and leaves the district owning the equipment outright at the end. Together that is $1,792.56 a month, or about $21,500 a year.

Damisch told the board that until Tuesday she had planned to recommend LeadingIT's cheaper Workplace Essentials plan, at $892 a month. What changed her mind was a technology review with the firm that flagged the server. She said the building's server is far past its useful life, and that the work ahead comes to 78 to 83 hours, which under Essentials would be billed at $185 an hour. Her memo calls the server a critical infrastructure risk and says no current staff member knows how to get at the files on it, because staff keep their working files on their own computers or in Google Drive.

A cost comparison in the packet, prepared by LeadingIT, puts the first year of Essentials plus the expected project labor at $25,134 to $26,059, against $18,480 for Complete. Those 78 to 83 hours cover moving the server, setting up computers, and installing the access points and the switch. The server migration is the largest piece, estimated at 35 to 40 hours.

Commissioners asked how long the move would take and whether the district could drop back to a cheaper plan afterward. Damisch said she did not yet have a timeline and would ask, guessed it would take a few weeks, and said the district could step back down to Essentials after a year, once the server is gone. A commissioner asked what would happen if the director left; Damisch said the next director would get a detailed handover plan, with administrative access held in an account with LeadingIT along with documentation. She told the board the district is still deciding whether to stay on Google's office software or move to Microsoft's.

Damisch acknowledged the cost is more than the board expected in July, and said she does not expect it to require a budget amendment. Her memo says IT and software lines will run over their internal budget but are offset by unspent money in related lines, keeping total spending within the district's appropriation ordinance. One commissioner said the expense looks large for a small organization but is worth it given how much the district depends on IT, and added that the firm is local.

The board voted to authorize Damisch to sign the amended agreement. The revised memo and LeadingIT's quote and cost comparison went to commissioners the afternoon of the meeting.

The Audit Is on an Extension, and a Signed Levy Is Missing

The Illinois Comptroller has approved a 60 day extension for the district's fiscal 2026 annual audit, moving the deadline to December 26. Damisch told the board the extension should not affect the audit itself, that the work was about 22 percent complete when her predecessor left, and that she needed time to find the documents the auditors asked for. She said the auditors are now writing the report and the district is on track for December.

One document is still missing. Damisch said the auditors asked for a signed copy of the district's 2024 tax levy, and that no signed copy exists in the board records she has been able to find. She said she has asked McHenry County for its copy. A second document the auditors asked for, a 2024 abatement, she was able to find. She told the board there is confirmation the county received the filing, because a report on the levy matched that year's numbers, and that the board's minutes reflect it, but the auditors need the signed document.

A First Engagement Letter for the District's Lawyers

The board approved a retainer agreement with Cowlin, Naughton, Curran, Cuda & Hanzel of Crystal Lake. The board president said the district has appointed the same firm every year but has never had an engagement letter, and that nothing about the relationship changes. The letter sets rates of $275 an hour for attorney J. Kevin Hanzel and $175 an hour for a second attorney whose bar admission is pending, billed in tenths of an hour.

Damisch told the board the district is making heavier use of its lawyers this fiscal year than last, and that they have been responsive.

A Second Vending Machine, Inside This Time

The district's indoor vending machine broke and could not be repaired, and staff hauled it away on October 15. The board approved an agreement with Brew N' Snacks LLC of Genoa, which already runs the outdoor machine near the pickleball courts, to put a snack and drink machine just inside the main entrance, where Damisch said she will likely place it so fitness patrons can use it on the way out.

The vendor supplies and maintains the machine at no cost to the district and pays it 15 percent of net sales each month. The agreement runs six months and renews automatically unless the district gives 60 days' written notice before a term ends. Damisch said the district's share would be small, under $200 a year, and that the machine's front facing camera adds a layer of security. She said she checked with other park districts and 15 percent is the going rate.

The Director's Report

• Damisch told the board that as of Monday, after a phone call to the software company of more than three hours, the district has ownership and full administrative control of its QuickBooks accounting account, which she called a critical internal control for its finances. She said she is still recovering access to other accounts as they turn up.
• The district still does not have a signed grant agreement with the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the walking path and playground. An environmental review for the grant was completed October 7 and found no trees need to be cut for the path, which is already built.
• She plans to bring changes to the district's 2022 purchasing policy to a coming meeting, aimed at electronic approvals and payments, including doing away with physical signatures on check requests. Her report says the existing spending tiers stay as they are: up to $250 for staff, $2,500 for supervisors, $10,000 for the executive director, and anything above that to the board. A commissioner asked to see the changes marked against the current policy.
• The district answered a FOIA request received September 11 covering consulting contracts, payroll records, board documents and administrative communications. Her report puts the staff time at 15 to 20 hours, and says it was answered within an agreed extension.
• A personal trainer resigned effective October 3, and the position will not be filled for now. A maintenance staff member on emergency leave is expected back. The district's one custodian has moved from evenings to a 4:30 to 8:30 a.m. shift so the building is cleaned before it opens.
• No district employee currently elects the district's health insurance, and the 2027 plan options are unchanged.
• Damisch said the district still runs facility bookings on two separate systems and hopes to consolidate them, with an update likely in December. She said she will present a unified marketing strategy at the next meeting, with no vote expected.

Around Town

• The basement has been dry for about a month and a half, Damisch told a commissioner who asked about the window near the dance room. Basement flooding was discussed at length at the August meeting.
• The building's water heater failed and was replaced, an unbudgeted expense. The fire sprinkler system is getting repairs found in its annual inspection.
• Fitness center memberships stood at 461 on October 15, down from 516 a year earlier, according to the recreation report.
• Flag football's season opener was rained out the week before, and the league kicked off under the lights the night of the meeting. The recreation report counted six teams and 48 players, matching the league's high for a second straight season, and Damisch said the rainout let the district reopen registration, and more children signed up.
• The district handled two cases this soccer season of children playing outside their age group and met with parents over one of them. Damisch said the district has many unwritten rules, and that before the spring season it will put roster and conduct policies in writing, starting by merging its separate codes of conduct into one.
• Board members and coaches of M.U.G.S. who use space in two park shelters now sign keys in and out with photo ID, and Damisch said she is still building a roster of everyone outside staff who has access to a district building.
• At Venue in the Park, the September 12 Grateful Dead tribute drew about 375 people. The venue report credits free admission, and Damisch said an overlapping disc golf tournament helped. The September 26 season finale drew about 150, and the September flea market was cancelled for lack of vendors.
• No Marengo residents are currently enrolled in programs run by the Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association, of which the district is a member. Damisch said she wants to raise awareness of what the association offers.
• A commissioner suggested cutting the $10 monthly locker rental to $5, noting it has one renter. Damisch said a draft fee schedule is being updated and will come to the board.
• In public comment, a resident asked why the district's payroll figure fell and its property tax figure rose so sharply. The figures in the financial report are month-end balances of the district's payroll and property tax bank accounts: payroll went from $97,302.37 at the end of August to $65,499.17 at the end of September, and property tax from $37,921.53 to $281,320.57. The board was told property taxes arrive from the county on a disbursement schedule, so some months show large deposits and others none, and that the payroll question would get a follow-up.
• The September financial report shows $257,246.14 in income, including $178,892.59 in property taxes, against $96,366.16 in expenses, and a total bank balance of $616,195.09 on September 30. August showed $43,595.43 in income against $47,694.24 in expenses.
• The board's September 24 meeting was cancelled for lack of a quorum, and this was its first meeting since August 27.

The district's posted schedule puts board meetings on the fourth Thursday of each month, which in November falls on Thanksgiving. The district has not posted a November meeting date.

Some of what is above comes from Marengo Weekly's own recording of the meeting. The district's minutes for October 22 have not been approved yet.