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The Lake County Board approved a balanced budget at its November meeting. The FY19 operating budget—which funds the County’s day-to-day operations—is $3.3 million less than last year (or 1%). In an effort to provide some relief to taxpayers, this budget does not take the allowable property tax levy increase based on the Consumer Price Index. This keeps $3.4 million in taxpayers’ pockets. The only increase in property tax revenue will come from growth on new property.
It’s important to remember that Lake County receives revenue from a variety of sources. Lake County’s portion of your property tax payment is about 7%. The rest goes to other taxing bodies, including municipalities, townships, park districts and schools – with schools getting about 69% of your property tax payment. See exactly where your property tax dollars are going by visiting our Property Tax Distribution website.
Lake County’s budget invests in many service areas, from transportation and public safety to health and economic development/jobs. The County Board is committed to fiscal responsibility and delivering cost-effective, efficient services. As a result, the County has implemented operational efficiencies, leveraged technology and cut costs by sharing services between governments, which has made a difference to our bottom line. Lake County government has maintained a AAA credit rating (the highest possible) for more than 20 years due to our strong budgetary performance and well-managed financial operations, along with our strong financial policies and practices, healthy reserves and manageable debt.
To read the budget and learn more about County services and programs, visit www.lakecountyil.gov/budget.
 View the unofficial results from the Nov. 6 Election. Election results are unofficial and not final until 14 days after Election Day. There are votes to count from verified provisional ballots and mailed ballots with a postmark no later than Election Day sent by county residents, military members, or overseas citizens.
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 Lake County has launched a new Open Data and Records Hub that makes Lake County government data easily accessible – and searchable — to a broad audience, including residents and taxpayers, enhancing transparency and accountability. Additionally, government employees can now access other departments’ data to help enhance services and drive efficiency. The Open Data and Records Hub centralizes a wide range of data in one place from property taxes and health and recreation to transportation and government contracts and agreements. This new tool allows users to search and discover PDF maps, web mapping applications and other datasets all free of charge. The existing datasets on the Hub will consistently be updated, and Lake County is exploring adding new information, including financial data.
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Kenosha Road has closed from 21st St to IL 173 to through traffic and is expected to reopen by late November. The closure, which began Oct. 29, is necessary for a culvert replacement. View detour information
 Maintaining and preserving the current Lake County transportation system takes top priority when putting together the Lake County Division of Transportation’s annual improvement plan. Maintaining pavements is a large part of this effort.
Watch this video to learn more about the pavement management program, which allows LCDOT to evaluate when and where repairs are needed. Also, visit our pavements website to learn more, including answers to frequently asked questions such as how the county chooses what roads to repair.
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Getting to and from work on Metra just got easier for those that live in Chicago and commute to major Lake County employers like AbbVie, Horizon Pharma and others. Metra is testing new reverse-commute service on the Milwaukee District North Line. It is the result of a shared-cost partnership between Metra and Lake County Partners to improve reverse-commute service to Lake County in order to effectively recruit and retain employees living in Chicago. Previously, the schedule was not ideal for reverse-commute riders to and from Lake Forest because there were no morning outbound express trains, and the afternoon trains were either too early or too late for most workers. Learn more
Metra Announces No Fare Increase in 2019 Budget
Metra has proposed a 2019 operating budget of $822 million that does not include a fare increase. Metra also proposed a 2019 capital budget of $185.6 million, far short of Metra’s needs, and warned about the system’s deterioration and possible downsizing unless chronic capital funding shortfalls are addressed. View the proposed budget.
 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.
Multiple Ways Veterans Can Save Money on Their Property Taxes
Multiple exemptions are available through the Chief County Assessment Office that can help eligible veterans save money on their property taxes. Learn more about the exemptions available to veterans.
Helping Veterans Find Jobs
Lake County Workforce Development offers a variety of job search services and training opportunities to help job seekers gain the necessary skills to be competitive in today’s job market. Veterans receive priority service, which includes specialty workshops. Visit the Job Center of Lake County’s website to learn more.
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 The holiday season is among us and it’s that time of year where we take the family out to see the bright lights! Lucky for all of us in Lake County, there are plenty of holiday trees around the area decked in festive illumination. View the list of Lake County’s tree lighting ceremonies.
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 Lake County has been chosen to receive a national grant to help reduce the number of people with behavioral health issues who are detained in the Sheriff’s Adult Corrections Facility when they could be better served in supportive housing. Working in partnership with the health department, sheriff’s office, the county’s law enforcement and criminal justice system as well as local agencies, Lake County Community Development is one of three providers across the country to receive the Pay for Success grant.
Find out more: Watch Video | Read News Release
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 The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced a $700,0000 grant to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to continue building on efforts to reform the local criminal justice system and safely reduce the Lake County Jail's population. The grant is part of the Safety and Justice Challenge, a $148 million national initiative to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails. Read the news release.
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 A free, confidential county-wide referral service is one
step closer to reality thanks to support from the Lake County Board. Residents
will simply be able to dial 2-1-1 for personal assistance (much like they dial
9-1-1 for emergency assistance). The United Way of Lake County is
developing the new 2-1-1 service that will connect residents to various
resources from shelter and housing options, supplemental food programs,
services for veterans, health care, and many other critical services to help
improve and save lives. The Board allocated $80,000 in video gaming revenue
(which is generated from video gaming in the unincorporated areas) to the
United Way of Lake County. The agency expects 2-1-1 to launch in spring of
2019. Watch
this video as Lake County Board Member Steve Carlson explains what
this service will do for residents in Lake County.
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 Water is a critical resource in our lives and the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) is committed to reducing flood damages and improving water quality. To specifically address water-related issues impacting communities within the Des Plaines River Watershed planning area, the County Board approved an ordinance to adopt the Des Plaines River Watershed-Based Plan as an amendment to the Lake County Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan. The Watershed-Based Plan identifies more than 3,000 projects in the Des Plaines River Watershed that can improve water quality, reduce flood damage, protect and enhance natural resources, provide watershed education opportunities, and improve community cooperation and participation in watershed improvement activities.
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 Using salt to de-ice roads is a common method to make roads less slick, but that salt washes away into lakes and streams or seeps into groundwater supplies which can threaten aquatic plants and animals, and even human health. Lake County makes it a priority to use salt wisely while maintaining the highest level of service.
Watch this video to learn more how Lake County agencies are working with public and private partners to take steps to reduce salt by using safe alternatives - like beet juice. This is the 10th year that the County hosted the Annual Deicing Workshop to promote alternative winter maintenance practices and the importance of responsible road salt use to snow and ice professionals.
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 Forest Preserve News
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 Fall Family Fest
Celebrate the season at the Dunn Museum in Libertyville, on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Create fall-inspired crafts, experiment to see if a pumpkin sinks or floats, and learn how the Potawatomi lived hundreds of years ago. Learn more »
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 Thanksgiving for Nature Scavenger Hunt
Discover what we should be thankful for in nature on Sunday, Nov. 18 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Van Patten Woods in Wadsworth. Find clues along the trail in this self-paced activity. Learn more»
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 Guided Hike Lake County
Join us for our last guided walk Sunday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. at Prairie Wolf in Highland Park. All ages are welcome. Adult supervision is required. Learn more »
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#OptOutside This Black Friday
Skip the stores and #optoutside in your forest preserves on Friday, Nov. 23. Share your photos with us using hashtags #LCFPD and #optoutside. Learn more »
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 Burn off Thanksgiving Dinner with Forest Fitness
Join us at Old School in Mettawa on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 8 a.m. for Forest Fitness. Walk a new preserve each week with a group of outdoor enthusiasts. Learn more »
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 Lunchtime Tour at the Dunn Museum
Make the most of your lunchtime break on Friday, Nov. 30 at noon. Learn about local history on a 30-minute tour of the Dunn Museum. Then, bring your brown bag lunch to enjoy in our cafe. Learn more »
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 Annual Fund Breaks Records
Thank you to all who contributed to the Preservation Foundation's Annual Fund before June 30 and helped us exceed our $100,000 goal for the fiscal year! With your help, we raised more money than ever before for this fund, which provides a flexible source of funding for all areas of the Lake County Forest Preserves mission. In the past year, Annual Fund grants supported education loan boxes to put learning tools in the hands of Lake County teachers, helped staff assess the health of our Blanding’s turtle population, and supported habitat restoration and volunteer engagement at Greenbelt Forest Preserve in North Chicago. Support the Annual Fund today »
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 Tour the Dunn Museum
Watch this video to learn more about the Dunn Museum in Libertyville, from Forest Preserve President Ann Maine and Commissioner Carol Calabresa.
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