The Lake County Board will vote on the FY2018 budget in November. Lake County is committed to investing in people and our communities — that is at the foundation of our strategic plan and carries through to our budget. It’s a balanced budget that spends $437 million to fund core services, including transportation and infrastructure, health services, and public safety. For more than 20 years, Lake County has maintained a AAA bond rating from both major credit agencies – the highest rating possible. This budget continues to deliver efficient, cost-effective and accountable programs and services, by leveraging shared services and consolidation, like in the area of regional 911, utilizing technology, and streamlining operations.

Watch this video with the Chair of the Finance and Administrative Services Committee. Check out our reader-friendly budget summary, and read the entire budget. 

Don’t Throw Out Your Pumpkins! Drop Them Off to be Composted
Bring your pumpkin to these free drop-off events, so your pumpkins can be composted. Any pumpkins, gourds and other organics can be included. Please remove candles, yarn, plastic or other decorations before dropping off your pumpkin.

• 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Village of Gurnee, 235 O’Plaine Road
• 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4 at the College of Lake County, Parking Lot 3, Grayslake
• 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5 at the Mundelein Park District’s Community Park Sled Hill, 1401 N. Midlothian Road

Property owners residing in unincorporated Lake County may be eligible to save an average of $271 a year on their flood insurance policies. Through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Community Rating System program, residents who meet certain requirements are eligible for up to 20 percent savings on flood insurance premiums. Property owners should contact their flood insurance agent to obtain individual savings information. Visit the FEMA Flood Smart website as well as the county’s flood information website to find more resources.

To better address veteran homelessness and veterans in need and in crisis, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with the Veterans Assistance Commission and other county resources to ensure nobody is left behind.   

To address the challenge and ensure crisis services are available after hours, select Sheriff’s Office employees received training on issues of veteran homelessness and veterans “in crisis” as well as transport, shelter, and referral options for immediate assistance. Watch this video to learn more about the Veteran Ambassador Program.

In Lake County, we appreciate the dedication and commitment of the men and women who have served in the United States Military. To honor their service, we offer resources to help veterans and their families. To learn more, visit the Veterans Assistance Commission website, and sign up for their monthly newsletter.

Recorder of Deed's Office Offers Information to Our Veterans
The Lake County Recorder of Deed's Office offers various services to our veterans and their families. This includes being the official keeper of veteran’s military records, or DD214. The Recorder’s Office is happy to provide veterans a free copy of this form upon the completion of a request for discharge record.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, Illinois will require all civil cases to be submitted electronically. eFileIL, Illinois’ new e-filing system, will provide the ability to electronically file documents through an authorized Electronic Filing Service Provider (EFSP) anytime for no additional cost using a secure web portal, thus reducing filing time and trips to the courthouse. The Lake County Circuit Clerk’s Office will offer free training for attorneys and other filers on Nov. 16 and Nov. 30 at the Lake County Courthouse to learn more about the e-filing process. Register by Nov. 1 for the Nov. 16 training.  Register now

Forest Preserve News

Engaging Volunteers for Nature
Walking through Greenbelt Forest Preserve in North Chicago this fall, you can’t miss the changes. Where there was once a dense wall of buckthorn, you can now look out across a rare combination of prairie, interspersed with native shrubs and small trees. This unique scrubland habitat draws migrating birds such as eastern kingbird, northern flicker, and brown thrasher.

People are flocking to enjoy Greenbelt and to help with restoration efforts. In 2016, a $100,000 grant from the Illinois Coastal Management Program supported this restoration work and funded project partner, Audubon Great Lakes, to engage the community. From April 2016 to April 2017, nearly 400 volunteers logged more than 1,000 hours cutting and burning brush, weeding, shrub and seed planting, and seed collecting. On one workday, 30 students from Abbott Middle School donned work gloves loppers, and saws to cut buckthorn. Become a volunteer

When it comes to safe drinking water, public bodies are required to test for lead and copper. Our water systems are typically tested for lead and copper every three years. Lake County Public Works has no lead water lines, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) even reduced our lead monitoring requirements as a result of no sampling violations. However, systems that change water sources, such as switching from wells to Lake Michigan water, are tested more frequently after the cross over. This year eight systems were tested and found to be within standards. 

• Systems tested in 2017: Vernon Hills, Wildwood, Brooks Farm, Pekara, Hawthorn Woods, Arden Shores, Grandwood Park, Forest Lake 
• Systems to be tested in 2018: Countryside Lake, Fox Lake Hills, Highland Lake, Knollwood, Arden Shores, Grandwood Park, Forest Lake

Watch this video to learn how Lake County Public Works is working to keep the county’s drinking water safe.