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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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 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). A Disaster Loan Outreach Center has opened at the Lake County Emergency Operations Center, 1303 Milwaukee Ave.,
Libertyville where SBA customer service representatives will issue loan
applications, answer questions and help individuals complete
applications. Find
out more by viewing this SBA 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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As we approach Thanksgiving, I want to thank you for the opportunity to represent District 5 on the Lake County Board and wish you a holiday filled with happiness and good health.
To help celebrate the holiday, I invited my readers to share the best drawing of a Thanksgiving turkey, and I thank you for the wonderful response. We have many creative artists in our district! But I'm happy to share with you the winner, submitted by Tabby. Happy Thanksgiving!
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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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Experience an afternoon
discovering the gifts we receive from nature as you walk a designated trail
searching for clues on Nov. 19. Afterward, enjoy a hot beverage. This activity
is self-paced. Arrive anytime between 1 and 3 p.m. to begin. Learn
more
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 The Fox Lake Fire
Protection District has teamed up with American
Red Cross to start a smoke detector installation program where upon request, they will come to your house and install a free new smoke detector. The smoke detectors are all
battery operated. They also can provide a special smoke detector made for the hearing impaired. For information, contact Ted Damos by e-mail at tdamos@flfpd.org
or Deputy Chief Ed Lescher at elescher@flfpd.org.
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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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 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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 Canine Team Successfully Tracks Two People
Deputy John Forlenza and his K-9 partner, Dax recently helped assist and were able to find a missing man in mental distress in Ingleside. Tracking the scent of the missing man, the two located the man sleeping in a wooded area about 50 yards from where he initially fled. He was transported to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation.
Later that month, Deputy Forlenza and K-9 Dax also helped to track a man who attempted to enter a person’s home in Round Lake and fled the scene. The man was arrested without further incident. Learn more about the members of the Sheriff's Office K-9 team.
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 Multiple exemptions are available through the Chief County
Assessment Office that can help eligible veterans save money on their property
taxes.
Standard Homestead Exemption for Veterans with Disabilities
(SHEVD)
This exemption provides a reduction in the equalized assessed
value of a primary residence occupied by a veteran with a disability, or the
veteran’s surviving spouse. Find out more
Disabled Veterans Exemption (Adaptive Housing)
Under this program, up to $100,000 of the equalized assessed value
of a home owned by a qualifying veteran, or the veteran's spouse, or an
unmarried surviving spouse is exempt from property taxes. Learn more about the
qualifications and how to apply.
Returning Veterans Exemption
This exemption lowers the equalized assessed value of the veterans
principal residence by $5,000 for the current tax year and the following year
that the veteran returns from active duty in an armed conflict involving the
armed forces of the United States. Learn More
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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 |
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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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 Documenting Species in
Lake County
Following an exciting photo confirmation of a
river otter along the Fox River in Lake County, we asked our wildlife biologist
Andrew Rutter for the scoop. He told us many species have a difficult time
dispersing into forest preserves throughout Lake County. Occasionally
transient individuals may roam through from the north. However, species that
are relatively abundant throughout Illinois do not seem to penetrate the urban
landscape, likely due to human disturbance, habitat loss and fragmentation.
To document the 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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 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.
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.”
April Vaos,
Environmental Educator
Favorite Preserve: McDonald
Woods, Lindenhurst
Great Plants: “Maple trees, Virginia creeper, and little bluestem.”
Ken Klick, Restoration
Ecologist
Favorite Preserve: Captain
Daniel Wright Woods, Mettawa
Great Plant: “Sugar maple.”
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Annual Fund Spotlight
Engaging volunteers at Greenbelt Forest Preserve 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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