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The Nov. 8 election is fast approaching. View the voter information guide to see a complete list of candidates, public questions, early voting sites, and more.
 Vote Early and Register at a Site Across the County
Today is the final day that you can vote and register early at any early voting site regardless of where you live in Lake County. Hours and dates vary at the 14 different locations. Find your closest early voting site.
Voting and Registering to Vote On Election Day
If you plan on voting on Election Day, you must vote at your precinct’s polling location. To find which site you need to vote at, use our Polling Place Locator. Be aware that voter registration also will be available in all precinct polling locations on Election Day and at the County Clerk’s Office in Waukegan.
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Did you know you can preview your personalized ballot before heading to the polls? Log onto LakeVoterPower.info and confirm your registration. Then you can print your ballot preview to take into the voting booth as a reference.
When voters go to the polls in November, they will see a proposed
amendment to the Illinois State Constitution on the ballot. The amendment will
ask voters if all revenues from various transportation-related taxes and fees
should only be spent on transportation projects and expenses. If approved, the
amendment calls for putting transportation revenue in a “lockbox” that can only
be used for transportation purposes. This would include highway
construction and repair, mass transit, enforcing traffic laws, and other
transportation expenses such as paying off debt on transportation projects.
While protecting against the diversion of transportation funds for other
purposes, the proposed constitutional amendment does not provide any new
capital funding for transportation in Illinois. It is estimated that Illinois
must spend an additional $43 billion on transportation infrastructure in the
next ten years to bring highways and bridges into good condition. Learn more.
Lake County government is investing in various improvement
projects across the county – including road, water/sewer and stormwater
projects and facility expansion projects like the new court tower in Waukegan.
To help residents see and learn about the projects we’re working on, we’ve
developed the easy-to-use Lake County Capital
Improvement Projects web portal.
I
recently joined local and state elected leaders along with Walgreens Regional
Vice President Joe Willey to unveil one of three safe medication disposal
kiosks in Lake County. The Walgreens’ Safe Medication Disposal Program in Lake
County is designed to give residents a better method to dispose unused or
expired medications. Watch
now |
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Learn about the various initiatives the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is leading by attending one of four remaining town hall meetings at locations throughout Lake County. Topics will include implementation of body-worn cameras, mental health initiatives, procedural justice programs and more. All meetings will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. View the town hall meeting dates and locations. |
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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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Recently, the
Governor signed a bill granting Lake County (along with McHenry County) the
authority to consolidate and dissolve local units of government that are
appointed by the County Board.
This includes drainage, sanitary and mosquito abatement districts –
among others.
Illinois has 7,000
units of government - more per capita than any other state! That includes the nearly 70 boards and
local units of government that I appoint as County Board Chairman. Almost 30 of our appointed districts
have taxing authority. It’s too many hands in the cookie jar and often leads to
duplication of government services and unnecessary spending.
This new law will
allow the County Board to evaluate opportunities for consolidation that both
maintain or improve essential services and save taxpayer dollars. It also gives voters the final say by
requiring a referendum before any unit of government is dissolved or
consolidated.
Driving efficiencies
and improving effectiveness is something we started working on long before this
bill was signed into law. The
County Board has advanced numerous initiatives to save taxpayer money by sharing
services, including contracting with municipalities for plan review and
inspection service and providing police services at cost for some
municipalities. We are also exploring the feasibility of consolidating 911
emergency dispatch centers in the region, which presents tremendous
opportunities to improve quality, efficiency, and provide cost savings.
I
recently took the County Update show on the railroad! Metra takes passengers on
about 750 trains per day along three lines across Lake County. In this episode
of County Update, we talk with a member of the Metra Board of Directors, who represents Lake
County. Watch now |
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The Lake County Housing Authority will open the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Waiting List. Preliminary applications for the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program will be accepted Nov. 28 to Dec. 2. Preliminary applications can be accessed only on the Lake County Housing Authority website. All completed applications will be accepted, however, only 5,000 preliminary applications will be randomly selected using a computer generated lottery system.
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