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The County Board held hearings this week to review the 2017 proposed budget. The public can view these hearings anytime starting next week 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. The Board will adopt the budget at its November meeting. 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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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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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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 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 throughout Lake County! Each year, schools
hold 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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Leaf collection to begin Oct. 24 in Waukegan
The City of Waukegan will begin its curbside leaf collection on Oct. 24.
Residents are asked to not rake leaves into the street or put leaves in plastic
bags. Leaf burning is prohibited. Learn more
Save the date! Waukegan to
hold community recycling event
The
Waukegan Park District will hold its annual community recycling event from 10
a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 5 at Belvidere Park. Bring unwanted clothes, shoes,
glasses, hearing aids, musical instruments and bicycles. You also can bring up
to four copy paper boxes of documents to be shredded and recycled. Electronics,
household chemicals and paints will not be collected at this event. Learn more
 If you have any questions or concerns, please call me at 847-721-1563 (cell) or email me at mcunningham@lakecountyil.gov.
I encourage you to forward this update to others who may be interested in Lake County news. Persons who wish to automatically receive these free updates should contact me using the above information or click join our mailing list using the link above.
Thank you,
Mary Ross Cunningham
Ms. Cunningham, County Board member and Forest Preserve Commissioner, serves on:
Lake County Board, 9th District:
Lake County Law and Judicial Committee, Vice Chair
Lake County Health and Community Services
Cultural Diversity (Ad-Hoc), Chair
Lake County Rules Committee, Vice Chair
Ethics Committee
Lake County Forest Preserves, 9th District:
Education, Cultural Resources and Public Affairs- Vice Chair
Rules Committee, Vice Chair
Diversity and Cultural Awareness Committee
Greenbelt Cultural Center Expansion Committee
YCC Advisory Government Council, Chair
Other appointed positions:
National Association of Counties (NACo) Community and Economic Development Committee
Lake County Community Health Center Governing Council, Vice Chair
Lake County Board of Health Personnel Committee, Chair
Community Action Partnership of Lake County, Board Member
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