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The County Board will
hold budget hearings on Tuesday, Oct. 18 (starting at 9 a.m.) and Wednesday, Oct.
19 (starting at 8:30 a.m.). These meetings will be televised live on lakecounty.tv.
The proposed budget is balanced, and the operating budget reflects an increase
of less than one percent from last year. The county board is committed to
fiscal responsibility and making decisions that protect the long-term fiscal
health of the County. The uncertainty of the State budget and potential State
funding cuts continue to place significant pressure on our budget. In response,
departments cut their budgets by 2% through restructuring and other efficiency
measures. There are 11 fewer employees than last year, and there are 100 fewer
employees than five years ago. These reductions have been made without
adversely impacting service levels. Read the entire
budget and reader-friendly budget summary.
 Voter registration
will be available Election Day
Grace Voter Registration will be available in all Lake
County precinct voting sites for the Nov. 8 election.
The U.S. District
Court, Northern District of Illinois, recently responded to a federal lawsuit
that challenged the Illinois law allowing counties with a population of 100,000
or more to conduct registration (along with voting) in every precinct voting
site on Election Day. As a result, the Court granted the requested preliminary
injunction, which prohibited in-precinct Election Day registration in counties
with a population in excess of 100,000.
This was appealed by
the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, and on Oct. 7, the 7th Circuit Court of
Appeals stayed the previous U.S. District Court order enjoining Election Day
In-Precinct Registration – which means counties with a population of 100,000 or
more are required to provide voters with the option of registering at voting
sites on Election Day.
Watch
this to learn more about the Nov. 8 election, including dates you
should remember such as when
early voting starts as well as how results are processed and reported on
election night. Make sure to also preview a personalized ballot, and explore
your voting options on the County Clerk's office Nov.
8 General Election web page.
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Vote Like a Couch
Potato!
Voting by mail is so easy that even a couch potato can do it! Avoid the long lines on Nov. 8 by filling out your ballot from
the comfort of your own sofa. Here’s
how to request a ballot by mail:
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 Several Lake County
communities have set their trick-or-treat hours for this year. Find out when
it’s happening in your area by viewing Visit Lake County's latest guide. See
Your Communities' Trick-or-Treat Hours.
Be safe this Halloween
With Halloween approaching, remember
to be safe. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office will have extra deputies
patrolling while children are trick-or-treating. Sheriff’s detectives also
will provide additional monitoring of registered child sexual offenders to
ensure they are in compliance with the law and not participating in
trick-or-treating. View some safety tips to
make this a safe and fun Halloween.
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You may be used to putting paper and plastics in
the recycling container, but did you know you can also recycle food items every
day like banana peels and coffee grounds? Many food scraps end up in the
landfill but could be composted instead. Watch this to
learn the do’s and don’ts of food composting. |
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 Get rid of unwanted aerosol products, motor oil, fertilizer and other chemicals at the household chemical waste collection event from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Mundelein Metra Train Station, 205 N. Archer Ave. View what items will be accepted.
Residents Are Working to Reduce Waste Put into
Landfills
Residents who live in unincorporated Lake County are
reducing the amount of waste being put into landfills from 2.5 pounds per
person per day in 2014 to 2.37 pounds per person per day in 2015, according to
the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County. This decrease occurred a year after Lake
County required waste haulers to provide recycling bins to all residents.
SWALCO reminds you there are items in each room that you
can recycle. Check out this guide to learn
more. And visit SWALCO’s website to learn about all the recycling
programs, including electronics, clothing and textiles, shoes, household
chemical waste and prescription drugs.
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All
collection fees will be waived on any past due fines to Lake County during Amnesty
Week, Oct. 24 to 28. Full and partial payments will be accepted. You can pay by
phone by calling 847-377-3239, or by visiting any Circuit Clerk branch location
from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to make a payment. Payments can be made at the
following locations:
- Lake County Circuit Clerk’s Office,
18 N. County St., Waukegan
- Mundelein Branch Court, 105 E. Route 83
- Park City Branch Court, 301 Greenleaf
St.
- Round Lake Branch Court, 1792 Nicole
Lane, Round Lake Beach
 The most important
step that you can take to protect yourself against the flu is to get an annual
flu vaccine. The Lake County
Health Department and Community Health Center urges those who should get the
vaccine. This includes anyone six months of age or older, especially children
younger than 5, adults 65 years old and older, and those with conditions such
as asthma or diabetes.
Flu shots through the
Lake County Health Department are available as well as through retail clinics,
pharmacies, and individual healthcare providers. Watch this video and learn more.
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 Forest Preserve News
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Book your 2017 event at a Forest Preserve picnic shelter
Reservations for 2017 dates
at any of the Forest Preserves’ 31 picnic shelters are now being accepted. Plan
early for your family reunion, company picnic or other group gathering to
ensure your first choice of shelter and date. Learn more. |
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Take
the Des Plaines River Trail Challenge
Travel the entire 31.4 miles of the
Des Plaines River Trail (DPRT) by Nov. 30 and be rewarded. The final section of
the DPRT was completed in 2015 and now spans the length of
the county. Help celebrate this amazing gem by using it. Bike it. Boat it. Walk
it or run it. Or, you can make a donation to help the Forest
Preserves keep it clean and safe. Learn more. |
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 Nearly 150 schools
and 100,000 students participated in Attendance Week in Lake County! Each year, schools hold events and fun activities to promote attendance
in school. The Lake County Regional Office of Education recently held its 28th annual Attendance Week awards ceremony
recognizing the schools who participated this year and celebrating students who
make good attendance a priority. The goal is to promote improved school
attendance across the county. Watch this to
learn more.
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Lake Villa begins fall leaf vacuuming
The Village of Lake Villa begins fall leaf
vacuuming on Monday, Oct. 17. Rake leaves as close to the street as possible.
Also, please ensure that acorns, rocks, branches, sticks, and grass clippings
are not in your leaf piles. Those items cause the equipment to get clogged and
even damaged. For information, contact Village Hall at 847-356-6100.
Antioch hosts Treat the Street & Monster Mash Bash
Join
Antioch’s Treat the Streets event from noon to 2 p.m.
Oct. 22 and go trick-or-treating in the downtown area businesses. The Monster
Mash Bash will start at 1 p.m. and will feature the original pumpkin roll,
costume contest, musical chairs, bouncy house, food and carnival games. For
information, contact Antioch Parks and Recreation at 847-395-2160 or email parks@antioch.il.gov.
Support local heroes at chili cook off
Drink hot apple cider, get some pumpkins for Halloween and support
local heroes as the Antioch fire and police departments , Newport Fire
Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and the Gurnee Fire Department
compete against one another in a chili cook off! The event will run from
11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 at Old Mill Creek Country
Store, 19588 W. Illinois Route 173, Antioch. Details
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