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Note to readers: There is a clarification regarding the headline on the County Board's action to approve the 2018 budget. See more information below.
On Nov. 14, the Lake County Board
voted to increase your property taxes
for fiscal year 2018. While the increase is 2%, in
my opinion it was still unwarranted. In light of the fact that we were
anticipating the need to cut $4 million from our proposed 2018 budget had Springfield voted to freeze property
tax increases, this 2% increase of your taxes would not have to happen. Instead, we would have had to cut our proposed 2018 budget by State
mandate.
While cuts sometimes hurt, we have all had to do the same in our
personal lives when there was not enough income to meet our planned for
expenditures. The Lake County Board could have chosen to make cuts
instead of increasing your taxes, but it did not. My belief is it is usually
perceived by those who govern us that it easier to tolerate the pain of a tax
increase than the pain of having to cut programs and employees. However,
as public servants, we must never forget that
the money we spend is your money, not government's. We could have made
the cuts necessary to have a balanced 2018 budget without a tax increase, but
14 of 21 Lake County Board Members chose to increase your taxes instead.
I fought against this tax increase
because I did not think it was necessary at this time, and I will continue
to fight for you in the future on these fiscal matters. Please call
me and your other Lake County Board Members and let us know how you feel.
 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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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 enjoying 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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 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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 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). Find out more by viewing this SBA news release.
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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 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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 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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 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 at the start of
Medicare open enrollment. 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.
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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.
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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 2018 Summer Camps
Registration for our 2018 camp season opens Dec. 1. Early bird
discounts are available through February 15, 2018.
Programs fill quickly so enroll early. Register online or call 847-968-3321.
2018 Annual Permits
Annual permits for dog parks, horse trails and more go on sale at
8 a.m. on Dec. 4. Find information and purchase permits online or call 847–367–6640.
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 Give the Gift of Golf
Golf gift cards are the perfect gift for the golfer on your list:
good for green fees, carts, and pro shop items at any of our three courses.
Buy online or call
847-968-3102, anytime; or at our General Offices in Libertyville between Nov.
27 and Feb. 28.
Holiday Bonus: Receive a $10 bonus voucher for every $100
in gift cards purchased between Nov. 24 and Dec. 31.
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Documenting Species in
Lake County
To document the diversity and richness 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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