The County Board
recently approved its annual budget for next year, which is balanced and
reflects the board’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and making decisions
that protect the long-term, fiscal health of the County. The Board’s strong,
fiscally conservative budget policies allow the County to manage challenging
times, maintain its fiscal stability, as well as maintain our extremely
strong AAA credit rating. The 2017 operating budget, which funds the
day-to-day operations, is essentially the same as last year, up only less than
one percent. In anticipation of potential State funding cuts given the
uncertainly of the State budget, County departments cut their budgets by 2%
through restructuring and other efficiency measures. Additionally, 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 continues to invest in our infrastructure, including our
transportation system and the delivery of Lake Michigan Water to the northwest
region of the County. Check out our new, reader-friendly on-line budget portal,
which provides a walk-through of our budget, including key takeaways, where the
money comes and where it goes. www.lakecountyilbudget.org.
To view the unofficial results from the November 8 election, visit the Lake County Clerk’s website. Remember, election results are unofficial until provisional
and late-arriving vote by mail ballots are counted 14 days after the election,
and the results are certified.
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The Illinois State Treasurer is
holding $2.5 billion in unclaimed funds for Illinois residents. The state holds
these lost funds until they are claimed by either the original owner or their
heirs. Property is returned at no cost with the proper identification. Visit the Illinois State
Treasurer’s site and enter your name or business
to see if money is being held.
Forest Preserve News
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Earn a Bonus When
Purchasing a Golf Gift Card
Simplify your shopping, surprise the golfer in your life and receive a
bonus this holiday season. From Nov. 14 through Dec. 30, receive a $10
bonus for each $100 in Lake County Forest Preserves golf gift card you
purchase. Gift cards are redeemable at ThunderHawk (Beach Park), Countryside (Mundelein), and Brae
Loch (Grayslake) golf clubs. Gift cards never expire.
Bonus vouchers expire after June 30, 2017. Learn more. |
Des
Plaines River Trail Challenge and Hike Lake County End Nov. 30
Just a few weeks left! There’s still time to finish the Des Plaines River Trail Challenge and Hike Lake County. Finish by Nov. 30 to
receive great rewards and be entered to win raffle prizes. |
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The Lake County Sheriff’s
Office is partnering with the Veterans
Assistance Commission, local law enforcement agencies and schools to
collect coats and outerwear for veterans and their families. The collection
period ends Nov. 30.
Bring gently
used coats, gloves, hats, socks and scarves to one of the following
locations:
- Lake
County Courthouse and Administrative Complex, 18 N. County St., Waukegan
- Lake
County Sheriff’s Office, 25 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Waukegan
- Lake
County Sheriff’s Office, 1301 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville
Did you know that there are 20 bins across Lake County where you can
recycle clothing and textiles? And, by making energy efficient improvements,
you can reduce energy costs by 15 to 30 percent -- or $450 to $900 a year?
Visit our new Sustainable
Lake County website to
find out ways you can help the environment in your community. Some tips may
save you some money too! |
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The newly formed Lake County Mental Health Coalition, co-chaired by Lake
County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor and the Honorable Susan Garrett (former IL
State Senator, 29th District), recently held its first introductory meeting.
The group had a
productive and positive discussion pertaining to community change as it relates
to mental health, development of systems to share data, and the need to address
stigmas associated with mental health. The next steps will be to identify the
mental health services already in place and how we can provide a unified
approach to delivering these services throughout Lake County. In this video,
Lawlor and Garrett discuss the work of the coalition. Watch now
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As we enjoy the fall
season, drivers also need to be more vigilant and watch for deer on the roads.
Autumn coincides with the mating season and increased deer movement,
particularly at dusk and dawn. According to the Illinois Department of
Transportation, Lake County ranked among the top 10 Illinois counties for
crashes involving deer in 2015. Learn
how you can keep safe on the roads. |
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Enjoy Free Concert by Jazz Wave Big Band
See the Jazz Wave Big Band, a 17-piece jazz band perform at a free concert from
6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Three Brothers Theatre, 115 N. Genesee, Waukegan.
North Chicago To Hold Holiday Tree Lighting
Join North Chicago’s annual holiday tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. Nov. 28. Festivities include holiday musical selections from the Brass Ambassadors of Naval Station Great Lakes and Tina Graves.Visitors are invited to stay and visit Santa where each family will receive a free photo along with time to put in Christmas requests with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Details
Save the Date as Waukegan Opens New Aquatics Center
Join the Waukegan Park District as they open the new indoor
aquatics center Dec. 2. The ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. followed by music from
5 to 7 p.m. and free swimming from 5 to 10 p.m. There also will be free
swimming from noon to 7 p.m. Dec. 3 and 4. For information, call 847-782-3300.
The Waukegan Park District also is taking applications for
full-time, part-time and seasonal job openings. Apply online at the park district’s website.
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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