Traffic signal modernization along US 12, Electronics recycling in Lake Zurich, and More

view as a webpage
translate

Craig Taylor, District 19

November 7, 2017

Patriotic Subbanner

Lake County Road Safety

Drive Nice Video

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. 

  

Traffic Signal Connections Along U.S. 12

The Lake County Division of Transportation (LCDOT) has entered into an agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to modernize the traffic signals at IL 176 and the U.S. 12 ramps in Wauconda.  The project will install fiber optic communication cable along U.S. 12 from the IL 176 traffic signals south to Miller Road and install traffic monitoring cameras at select locations along the corridor.  The fiber optic cable will allow the traffic signals and traffic monitoring cameras along this stretch of U.S. 12 to be connected to Lake County PASSAGE, an Intelligent Transportation System designed to keep traffic moving efficiently throughout the county. PASSAGE allows LCDOT to coordinate signals along a corridor, use traffic monitoring cameras to remotely observe road conditions and make signal timing adjustments to respond to incidents, and connect to most of the emergency dispatch centers in Lake County. Lake County PASSAGE also provides motorists real time traffic congestion information through the PASSAGE website, email notifications, Twitter and radio 1620 AM.


Board Considers FY2018 Balanced Budget

Board considers fy2018 budget

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


Special Electronics Recycling Collection in Lake Zurich

electronics recycling

Lake County businesses, schools, churches, non-for-profits and units of government are invited to bring broken and unwanted electronics to be recycled at a special collection event from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday, Nov. 9 at the Ela Township Center, 1155 Route 22, Lake Zurich. 

The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County provides free opportunities for residents to recycle electronics through a network of drop off locations. However, State law limits these locations to accept only residential electronics. Learn more about this collection, including what items will be accepted.


Sheriff’s Office Initiates Veteran Ambassador Program

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.

 

Veteran Ambassador Program

Lake County Offers Services to Veterans

veteran

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.


Join These Community Veterans Day Events

College of Lake County to host ceremony, resource fair
The College of Lake County’s annual Veterans Day Ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 in Room A013 at the Grayslake Campus, 19351 W. Washington St. The keynote speaker will be Navy Capt. Paul Roach, a combat trauma surgeon who led a medical and surgical company that supported a Marine Corps offensive in southern Afghanistan in 2014. 

Veterans also are invited to attend a Veteran Resource Fair in the A Wing Lower Level from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Participants can meet representatives from various services including, the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, Lake County Veterans Assistance Commission. and more. Learn more

 

Veterans Day Lunch 
A Veterans Day Lunch will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Barrington Masonic Lodge, 312 S. Cook St. to honor all who have served. For information, contact Aaron Buehler at 847-641-1078.


Thank Goodness It’s November! Here’s Ways to Enjoy

The holiday season is right around the corner with festivals, live entertainment, tree lighting ceremonies, outdoor excursions and more. Shed the Halloween costume, and head into our most thankful month by checking Visit Lake County’s top 10 things to do in November.


Visit Lake County November guide

New Medicare Cards to Be Sent Next Year. Protect Your Identity

New Medicare card

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, all to prevent identity theft, fight fraud and keep taxpayer dollars safe. But scammers are taking advantage of this change, especially at the start of Medicare open enrollment.

In some calls, the caller requests to verify your personal information in order to receive a new card, and others claim you need to pay for your new card and threaten benefits. Medicare will never email or call asking for your personal information, and the new cards will be free. Visit the Federal Trade Commission's website to learn more.


Lake County Circuit Clerk Now Accepts Online Payments

Circuit Clerk accepts online payments

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.

In addition to online payments, the Circuit Clerk also has established a call center that can help individuals who may not have access to a computer or may require additional assistance in making their payments over the phone. Learn more


Give Back! Become an Election Judge

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.

Become election judge play button

Forest Preserve Logo

Forest Preserve News

2017 Hike Lake County Challenge
Get active outdoors for your good health by taking our Hike Lake County Challenge. Enjoy fall breezes and autumn colors while exploring designated “Hike Lake County” trails. 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. 


Hike Lake County
Forest Preserve volunteers

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.


SMC Accepting Nominations for 2017 Stormwater Awards

The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission recognizes 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, nominate them for the 2017 Stormwater Awards. The deadline to submit nominations is Dec. 1. View the award categories, and download a nomination form. 

SMC

Lead and Copper Testing

water quality

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. 


Community News

Eggs and Issues legislative breakfast
Hear from village mayors and staff from all six communities served by the Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce as they discuss upcoming developments, road improvements, proposed changes in local sign ordinances and zoning restrictions at the legislative breakfast. The event will run from 7 to 9 a.m. Nov. 30 at Kemper Lakes Golf Club. Learn more


Forest Preserve Icon

Visit Lake County

Quick Links

Connect with Lake County

Open Gov/Board Meeting Agendas

Transportation 

Elections/Voting 

Job Center of Lake County 

Lake County Forest Preserves 

Visit Lake County 

Lake County Partners 

Lake County Life

Find Help Lake County

Veterans Assistance Commission


passage

SWALCO

Community Links

Village of Barrington 
Village of Deer Park 
Village of Hawthorn Woods 
Village of Kildeer 
Village of Lake Zurich 
Village of Long Grove 
Barrington Area Library 
Ela Area Library 
Ela Township
Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce 
LZ School District 95 
Kildeer Countryside District 96 
Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce