October 12, 2023
Lake County Board Approves Ordinance Saving Taxpayers $3.5 Million Within Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Fox Lake Hills and Grandwood Park
At its Oct. 10 meeting, the Lake County Board approved an ordinance providing for the payment of outstanding bonds that will result in $3.5 million in savings for taxpayers who own property within Special Area 16 (SSA 16).
In 2013, Lake County and the Villages of Lake Villa and Lindenhurst joined together to bring Lake Michigan water to the Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Fox Lake Hills and Grandwood Park water systems.
 To finance the improvements that were estimated to cost up to $46 million, SSA 16 was created to establish bonds. Project costs ended up being $3.5 million lower than the $46 million estimate, allowing for one of the bonds to be redeemed in full 15 years early. Through this action by the County Board, the SSA 16 tax levy for those who own property within this area will be reduced.
It is anticipated that the overall SSA tax levy savings will be $428 per $100,000 market value through 2037. For example, the total tax savings will be approximately $1,070 from 2023 to 2037 for a $250,000 home.
"Bringing Lake Michigan Water to these areas required strong partnerships to complete this monumental effort," said Sandy Hart, Lake County Board Chair. "Money will be staying in taxpayers’ pockets because of the meticulous planning, coordination, and effort demonstrated by everyone involved. I couldn’t be more proud of the way this worked out."
“Through a remarkable level of intergovernmental cooperation between Lake County, Lindenhurst, Lake Villa , and the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency, four water systems achieved a significant improvement in Lake Michigan water supply in both quality and quantity," said William Balling, Administrator of the Northern Lake County Water Special Area Planning Group.
Ten years ago, the affected communities faced an uncertain future with regard to water supply. Before this project, the local water supply came from underground aquifers. Growing demand depleted the deep aquifer and shallow aquifers were being pumped at capacity, which created low water levels and poor water quality.
"We're proud of the story that we can tell on so many fronts," said Clay Johnson, Village Administrator for Lindenhurst. "Not only because of what this project does for the quality and sustainability of our water supply, but how our joint efforts have led to an opportunity to repay bonds early leading to lower tax bills."
"It's difficult to imagine the challenges we would be facing today without Lake Michigan water," said Michael Strong, Village Administrator for Lake Villa. "We are indebted to those who had the foresight to pursue this project which began nearly 15 years ago, and we are grateful to have delivered on our goal of providing safe, reliable and affordable water for generations to come.”
Construction on the project occurred between 2016 - 2019 over four different phases. Lake Michigan has provided more than 11,000 properties within these communities a sustainable source of drinking water.
"Our team has had the great pleasure of working with the Northern Lake County Lake Michigan Water Coordination Group for more than 10 years," said Austin McFarlane, Director for Lake County Public Works. "I thank them for being terrific partners and leading such a critically important project."
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