From my family to yours we want to wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving! This is a great time of year to spend with family and friends and give thanks for the many blessings we have. Please remember those less fortunate than ourselves during the holiday season.
Respectfully,
Tom Weber
The County Board recently approved the 2018
budget that spends $437 million on core services, including transportation and
infrastructure, health services, courts and public safety. The budget is up
less than 2% from last year. The county board maintains a strong track record
of practicing fiscal responsibility, which means making prudent, data-driven
decisions, using resources efficiently and maintaining sustainable, financial
operations. As a result, this budget is balanced and Lake County is fiscally stable. The
County has been able to hold the line on its budget because across the
organization, departments are implementing operational efficiencies, leveraging
technology, and sharing services that are making a difference to our bottom
line.
Learn more by visiting our online Budget
Story, and watch the budget presentation and discussion from the board
meeting by going to lakecounty.tv and
clicking on items 60 & 61.
Delivering Exceptional, Financially Sustainable
Services Lake County works to
improve the quality of life in Lake County and provide services that benefit
more than 700,000 Lake County residents. Our mission is to deliver exceptional,
financially-sustainable services that promote a safe and healthy community
while enhancing economic vitality. Our core values of fiscal responsibility,
exceptional service, operational excellence, leadership and environmental
stewardship influence everything we do. Watch this
video to see how we are delivering on our mission and values
every day!
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Lake Villa's Annual Lighted Holiday Parade will march down Cedar Avenue on November 25th starting at 5:00pm. The parade will conclude with the traditional tree lighting in Lehmann Park. After the tree lighting, be sure to join us at the train station for refreshments and visits with Santa. Be sure to bring your cameras!
For more information, call Village Hall 847-356-6100.
Homeowners
and business owners impacted by the July 2017 flooding in Lake County may be
eligible for loan assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Those impacted by the floods may apply online using the Electronic Loan
Application (ELA) via SBA’s
secure website. The deadline to submit an application for physical property
damage is Jan. 12, 2018. The deadline for economic injury applications is Aug.
13, 2018.
Tax Credit Bill to
Help Property Owners Affected by July Floods
Lake County property owners, along with those in 17 other
Illinois counties who were affected by the July 2017 floods, may be eligible
for a $750 tax credit under a new law recently approved by the Illinois
Legislature and signed by the governor. If eligible, the natural disaster credit may be applied to the resident’s 2017 Illinois income taxes.
More information about how property owners can apply for this credit will be
forthcoming. Read news release.
FEMA Denies Governor’s Request for Federal
Disaster Declaration
In September, Governor Bruce Rauner sent a request to the
president of the United States asking that he approve federal assistance to
help people in the northern Illinois region, including Lake County, recover
from record flooding and severe storms in July. Lake County has been notified
that FEMA has denied this request. For information on the July 2017
flood, including a breakdown of the Disaster Declaration Process, visit
the county’s
flood information page.
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Unincorporated Residents Eligible for Flood Insurance Premium Discounts 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.
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This Thanksgiving, you can get everything you
need by shopping local! Lake County has more than 30,000 businesses and you may
be interested to learn how some have a surprising connection to Thanksgiving
and preparing a fabulous dinner! Watch video
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Thanksgiving is time to think about all that we’re thankful
for and enjoy a home-cooked meal with family and friends. But sometimes the
meal can contain unhealthy amounts of calories and fat. You can enjoy the
holiday season and be healthy too! Here’s some tips from Elizabeth, a dietitian
from the Lake County Health Department.
- Find recipes which are carbohydrate controlled, low
sugar, low sodium, and low fat.
- Eat a light snack, such as raw vegetables or a piece of
fruit, and consume adequate water to help prevent overindulging at parties
and family gatherings.
- Find fun ways to incorporate physical activity with the
family both indoors and out. Go on a walk together, try lunges and chair
exercises, or play charades with the family.
- Go to the health department’s Healthy Eating Active
Living page
to find more tips to eat healthy and stay active all year long.
Here’s some healthy holiday recipes that you can make for
your Thanksgiving table.
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As the holidays approach, a great way to relax and unwind is
to go to one of Lake County’s tree lightings and other special holiday events.
Check out Visit Lake County’s
listing of tree lightings and special holiday events to enjoy
time with family and friends.
Join these upcoming community festivities
- The Round Lake Area Park
District will hold its holiday festival from 2 to 5 p.m. Dec. 2 at the
community center. Details
- Join the Lindenhurst Park District's annual holiday
tree lighting from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Lippert Community Center. Learn more
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Celebrate winter break by enjoying a movie at 10
a.m. Dec. 29 at the Lindenhurst Park District community center gym. Learn more
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Making sure that Lake County roads, bridges and bike
paths are safe for the traveling public is the top priority of the Lake County
Division of Transportation (LCDOT), local government agencies and police
departments. Together, we have formed a multi-jurisdictional Safety Task Force
to look for opportunities to enhance safety for Lake County residents.
We can study the crash data and look for engineering
improvements or enforcement strategies to make roads safer, but we need your
help. As a road user, there are decisions you make and actions you take that
have an impact on the safety of everyone around you. Many serious injury or
fatal crashes are the result of driver behavior and can be prevented. Watch this video to learn ways you can help make our roads safer.
The Lake County Division of Transportation wants your
input too! Take
this survey to share your concerns about road safety.
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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.
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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 Deeds
Office Offers Information to Our Veterans
The Lake County Recorder of Deeds 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.
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Telephone
Scam The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is receiving reports of Lake
County residents getting fraudulent telephone calls from individuals
representing themselves to be from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Learn more
Join
Town Hall Meeting The Lake County Sheriff’s Office will discuss issues such as
the opioid crisis, “A Way Out” program and other programs offered by the
Sheriff’s Office at a town hall meeting from 6 to 7 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Woodland
Elementary School West cafeteria, 17371 W Gages Lake Road, Grayslake. The event is free and open to the public. For information, send an email
to RepSamYingling@gmail.com or call 847-231-6262.
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The Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Service will be sending out new Medicare cards to
individuals with Medicare benefits beginning in April 2018 without Social
Security numbers. But scammers are taking advantage of this change, especially
during Medicare open enrollment. Medicare will never ask for your personal
information, and the new cards will be free. Visit
the Federal Trade Commission's website to
learn more. |
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To increase efficiency and make the Lake County Circuit Clerk’s Office
more accessible to the public, the office will now accept payments online for
certain criminal and traffic cases. Individuals who owe outstanding fines and
court costs may pay online by visiting the Circuit Clerk’s website.
The website offers instructions in over 50 languages, and the service is
available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Learn more |
There’s no better way to support the election process than
by being an election judge. Election judges are responsible for administering
the proper and lawful conduct of all elections by serving in local voting
sites. Watch this
video as election judges share why they love the job, and learn how you can
join them. |
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Forest Preserve News
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2017 Hike Lake County Challenge Get active outdoors for your good health by taking our Hike
Lake County Challenge. Complete seven of the hikes through Nov. 30 to earn a
commemorative shield. View the 2017 hike location on our interactive trail map, or visit our website for more information.
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Our
Favorite Fall Preserves
There’s still time to view fall color in Lake County. While
all of our forest preserves are beautiful and unique, we asked
staff to share their favorites.
April Vaos,
Environmental Educator
Favorite Preserve: McDonald
Woods, Lindenhurst
Great Plants: “Maple trees, Virginia creeper, and little bluestem.”
Nan Buckardt, Director
of Education
Favorite Preserve: Van
Patten Woods, Wadsworth
Great Plant: “The colors on oak leaves are so saturated and rich.”
Fun Fall Fact: “Colors are brightest when the fall frost strikes early.”
Allison Frederick,
Assistant Public Affairs Manager
Favorite Preserve: Rollins
Savanna, Grayslake
Great Plant: “Virginia Creeper! This vine slowly morphs from green to deep
burgundy–and every color in between.”
Ken Klick, Restoration
Ecologist
Favorite Preserve: Captain
Daniel Wright Woods, Mettawa
Great Plant: “Sugar maple.”
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Documenting Species in
Lake County To document the richness and diversity of species present
in the Lake County Forest Preserves, our wildlife biologists
began a formal wildlife monitoring
program. Since the late 2000s, the biologists with the
help of trained wildlife technicians have monitored the presence of reptiles,
amphibians, birds, and mammals. They have already collected more than
200,000 wildlife records. Visit the Forest Preserves’
blog to learn more!
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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
Annual Fund Spotlight Engaging Volunteers at Greenbelt is exactly the kind of
project the Preservation Foundation Annual Fund was created to support. With
limited staff, the District cannot reach into every Lake County community to
engage volunteers we need to help care for our preserves. With a grant in 2016,
Audubon Great Lakes got off to a great start in North Chicago. To build on that
success, the Foundation Board awarded a $20,000 grant so the District can
continue working with Audubon Great Lakes. The goal is to build a
self-sustaining volunteer corps to support our ongoing work at Greenbelt.
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Since 2006, the Stormwater Awards Program has
recognized outstanding efforts by organizations, communities, groups, and
individuals for projects and other proactive and innovative efforts to improve
water quality, reduce flooding, and help restore the natural drainage system.
If you know of something or someone who fits this description, please nominate
them for one of the award categories. The
deadline to submit nominations is Dec. 1. Learn
more |
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The 2017 Lake County Summer Youth Employment Program
recently wrapped up another exciting summer as more than 200 youth gained
meaningful work experience while earning a paycheck. Funded by the Lake
County Board, the program matches youth with local worksites that offer a paid,
part-time work experience. Learn
more about the Summer Youth Employment Program. |
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More
than 96,000 Lake County students from 142 schools participated in this year’s
Fall Attendance Competition. The top 10 schools in weekly attendance rate
recently were honored by the Lake County Regional Office of Education. Watch this video to learn more about
the competition. |
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