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Special Service Area (SSA) #16 was created in 2013 for the purpose of providing Lake Michigan water to the communities of Lake Villa, Lindenhurst and the unincorporated areas of Grandwood Park and Fox Lake Hills.
In 2014 and 2015, property tax owners in this SSA saw an increase in their property tax bills ($32 annually for a $200,000 home). This was to fund the initial $7 million bond issue for project engineering design and easement acquisition.
Property owners recently received their 2016 tax bill and it includes a property tax increase for this SSA that will go toward funding construction costs for extending Lake Michigan water pipelines. For homes valued at $200,000, the tax is approximately $255 a year. This SSA tax will continue to be assessed for 25 to 30 years until the bonds for this project are paid off.
An SSA is the most appropriate and only funding mechanism that can be used to sell bonds of this magnitude. Using the value of your home to determine your share of the tax burden is the mechanism for funding other services rendered to properties, such as fire protection, police protection, parks, schools, etc. Therefore, if your house is valued higher than your neighbor, you will be assessed a higher SSA tax.
For additional information, contact the Public Works project manager, Heather Galan, at 847-377-7141.
Easement acquisition is still in progress for the project. You will be contacted if the water main needs to travel through your property. The firm coordinating easement acquisition is Land Acquisitions, Inc. located in Buffalo Grove.
The project has been divided into four separate bid packages. The bid opening for the first bid package is scheduled for June 2016. If you are interested in bidding on the project, contact CDM Smith Inc. at 312-346-5000.
Pipeline routes, the project
schedule, and the preliminary design report are available on our website at www.lakecountyil.gov/lakemichiganwater.
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