|
Regardless of the complexity of the formula that determines your tax bill, most homeowners just want to know the procedures they need to follow to reduce the "fair market value" assessment of their home so that their tax bill may be reduced. Come as the Cuba and Ela Township assessors and I host property tax assessment appeal seminars on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6.
Please show up with your tax bill, a pen and a photo of your property. To explain the process and the details, we will have property tax experts and government assessing officials on hand to answer all your questions and explain how to potentially reduce your property taxes.
Workshop Dates and Locations:
6:30 to 8 p.m. Jan. 30 at Barrington Area Library, 505 N. Northwest Highway, Barrington
6:30 to 8 p.m. Feb. 6 at Ela Township Office, 1155 E. Route 22, Lake Zurich
 A new year brings more than 200 new laws that went into effect beginning Jan. 1. This includes lowering the organ donor registry
age, allowing motorists to pass bicyclists in a no-passing zone, and a new law
that protects consumers who leave negative online reviews. See the complete list.
|
|
Dispose Unwanted, Expired Prescriptions Safely
Dispose your unused, unwanted and
expired prescription drugs properly at disposal boxes across Lake County. The
service is free! Find a drug
disposal box near you, and learn what is not accepted.
|
|
 |
|
Stay Green after the Holidays
The holidays are over, but don’t
throw those decorations away! Recycle your old and unwanted strings of lights
for free! View the list of locations and what items are accepted.
Donate your
holiday tree to the Lake County Forest Preserves, and we’ll recycle it into
wood chips for trails and landscaping at forest preserves throughout Lake
County. Bring your tree to a drop-off site now
through Feb. 1.
|
|
 |
 Reuse-A-Shoe
Donate new and gently used shoes to
SWALCO’s Reuse-A-Shoe program. Individuals or families with a few pairs can
visit the drop-off locations. Groups or families who have a large number of shoes or who want to
collect them can contact Merleanne Rampale at SWALCO at 847-377-4954 to set up
a seasonal collection site or drive. View acceptable and unacceptable items.
Remember the R’s
Just as important as reusing or recycling is purchasing
eco-friendly items, including those that contain recycled content. There
are numerous markets out there, and even your local retailer offers
eco-friendly options. Visit SWALCO’s website
to learn more.
|
A Paratransit Market Study is underway in Lake
County to evaluate transportation options for seniors, people with
disabilities, and the general public. Please join us for the second round of
community meetings for the Paratransit Market Study. Lake County, in
conjunction with the Lake County Coordinated Transportation Services Committee
(LCCTSC), is conducting this study to evaluate transportation options for
county residents and to prepare an implementation plan to improve service. At
the community meetings, we will provide an overview of the draft analysis of
existing conditions and draft recommendations for service implementation. You
will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback and comments on
these findings to help shape public transportation in Lake County.
Tuesday, Jan. 23, 9 – 11 a.m.
Barrington Park District, 235 Lions Drive, Barrington
Thursday, Jan. 25, 9 – 11 a.m.
Highland Park Police Department, 1677 Old Deerfield Road, Highland
Park
The meetings will be conducted in an informal,
open house format so feel free to attend at any time during a session. The
same information will be provided at all meetings. Additional information can
be found on LCDOT’s website.
Lake County is
consistently leveraging technology to improve the effectiveness and efficiency
of operations, including using drones to conduct land surveys in a fraction of
the time. And, during the July 2017 floods, new drone technology helped assess
damage quickly and easily that otherwise would be inaccessible. Watch this
edition of Lake County’s Dirty Jobs as County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor
explores how drones can make jobs less
dirty. |
|
 |
 |
|
The Lake County Board makes
policy and budget decisions each month that touches many areas, from economic development and human services to law
enforcement and public safety, along with transportation and infrastructure. In
this new video series, we wrap up recent County Board actions. Watch
now.
|
After six months of listening to testimony, reviewing
background information and discussing government reform opportunities, the Lake
County Commission on Government Reform and Accountability has concluded that
Lake County government functions well, and it has the opportunity to be a state
and national leader in establishing independent redistricting. Watch this video to
learn more. |
|
 |
The minimum legal sales age to purchase tobacco
products has increased to 21 years old in unincorporated Lake County as of Jan. 1, following
an ordinance approved by the County Board. Lake County
is the first county in Illinois to raise the minimum legal sales age to 21 in
unincorporated areas.
The
Lake County Health Department provides FREE
one-on-one and group counseling with a certified tobacco treatment
specialist for adults looking to quit smoking or other tobacco
use. Learn more
 |
|
Lake County is on the front lines of addressing the mental
health crisis impacting our country and our communities. Over the past
year, the Lake County Mental Health Coalition has been
working diligently to study this issue at the local level and make
recommendations on how to better serve this vulnerable population in order
to maintain their health and well-being. Watch this video to
learn more. |
 Lake County homeowners are urged to test radon levels
in their homes and apartments during the winter months, when indoor radon
levels are at their highest.
Radon is an odorless and colorless gas that naturally
occurs in rock and soil. It can seep into homes from the soil through cracks in
the basement floors and foundations, crawl spaces, poorly sealed sump pumps,
porous cinder block walls and other foundation floor and wall
penetrations.
To purchase a radon testing kit, please call 847-377-8020. Learn more about radon in Lake
County.
|
 |
|
The Lake County Sheriff's Office, Health
Department, and Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities have launched a new
educational program to train at-risk inmates on the use of naloxone, an opioid
overdose antidote that counteracts the effects of heroin and other opioids in
the brain and essentially “brings back” an individual from an overdose. Learn more |
Lake County property owners who sustained flood damage from
the July 2017 flood may be eligible to claim an income tax credit worth up to
$750 under a new law recently approved by the Illinois Legislature and signed
by the governor. If eligible, the income tax credit may be applied to the
resident’s 2017 Illinois income taxes. Learn
more |
|
 |
|
Every year, volunteers participate in a Point-In-Time Homeless Count to search for,
interview, and offer help to unsheltered people experiencing
homelessness in Lake County. We need
volunteers to help document the need in our communities and serve as the “boots on the ground” to
connect individuals with the resources they need.
Date: January 24
Time: 10 p.m. (into
the early morning hours)
|
|
 |
 Forest Preserve News
|
 Experience Winter’s Beauty
Hiking across the snow. Tracing figure eights on the ice.
Feeling the tug of a fish below the frozen water. Zooming downhill on a
snow-packed surface. These experiences and more await winter outdoor
enthusiasts at your Lake County Forest Preserves, where breathtaking scenery
goes hand-in-hand with exercise and fun. Before heading out, check online for current trail, snow and ice
conditions for sledding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, ice skating, and
cross-country skiing.
Take an Evening Hike on Solar-Lit Trails
With small solar lights to
guide the way, hikers, skiers and snowshoers can get some evening exercise
along the 1.3-mile fitness trail at Old
School Forest Preserve in Libertyville, and along a 1.65-mile hilly section of the
Millennium Trail adjacent to the Winter
Sports Area at Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda. Though regular preserve hours are 6:30 a.m. to sunset,
the illuminated trails and adjacent parking lots will remain open after sunset
until 9 p.m., daily, through March 11. Learn more
|
 |
|
Register for School Programs Today
Registration for school programs at the Dunn Museum is now open. Field trips are
available beginning March 26. For more information or to book a field trip or
in-school program, contact Nicole Stocker, Museum Educator, at 847-968-3422
or nstocker@lcfpd.org. Learn more
|
 2018 Camp Registration is Now Open
Research has proven that time spent in nature fosters the healthy
development of children. Most of our camps are held completely outdoors, and
those that aren’t have components outside. Outdoor play helps children manage
stress and become resilient. Natural spaces stimulate children’s limitless
imaginations and foster creativity. Camp provides children with a safe,
positive environment that helps children grow. Our wide variety of topics
allows your camper to attend camps from ages 4 through 14 without repeating a
topic. Register today!
|
 |
|
Lake County History Symposium–Call for Papers
On April 29, the Dunn
Museum (Libertyville) will host
the fourth Annual Lake County History Symposium. The Symposium is open to the
public and aims to bring together those interested in and actively researching
the history of Lake County. This year’s theme is History from Objects.
Proposals for presentations and posters are requested. Submissions are due on
or before Feb. 1. Submit
yours today. |
|
