OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Lake County Public Works & Transportation Committee Meeting - August 5, 2026

Committee Meetings — Wednesday, August 5, 2026
BodyLake County, Illinois
SessionCommittee Meetings
DateWednesday, August 5, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 51:29
Transcript — Verbatim
0:13

Good morning.

0:14

Today's August 5th, 2026, and I call the Lake County Public Works and Transportation Committee meeting to order at 8 30 a.m.

0:21

In addition to being able to attend in person, remote attendance has been made available to the public via Zoom at the link on the agenda.

0:28

This meeting is being um recorded through Zoom.

0:31

Um can you please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance?

0:35

I pledge to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:43

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:49

Can I get a roll call, please?

0:52

Yes.

0:53

Member Kasman?

0:54

Here.

0:56

Member Hewitt?

0:58

Yeah.

0:59

Member Hunter?

1:00

Here.

1:00

Vice Jeremy.

1:02

Present.

1:02

Member Roberts.

1:04

Member Wasick.

1:05

Here.

1:06

All right.

1:07

Um, there's no addenda to the agenda.

1:09

Is there any public comment today?

1:10

There's no public comment.

1:11

All right.

1:12

No cheers remarks or unfinished business.

1:14

New business is our consent agenda.

1:15

Item 8.1.

1:16

Can I get a motion and a second?

1:17

Motion by Kasman, second by Roberts.

1:20

All in favor?

1:22

Aye.

1:22

Any opposed?

1:23

Motion carries.

1:24

All right.

1:25

Item 8.2 is a presentation of the fiscal year 2025 schedule of income and expenses for the county's northwest, northeast central, and southeast sanitary sewer systems.

1:35

Good morning, Director McFarland.

1:40

Good morning, Chair, Committee members.

1:42

Uh Austin McFarland, Public Works Director.

1:47

Correct.

1:55

Could you speak up a bit?

1:56

Oh, sorry.

1:56

Micah Thornton, um Finance Manager.

2:01

So each year, as part of the audit process, a special income and expense reports are prepared for uh public works.

2:11

The reports are specific to certain communities, our municipalities, I should say.

2:17

The Northwest, the Northeast Central, and the Southeast Sanitary Sewer communities are the ones for which these reports are prepared.

2:28

The reports are delivered to these municipalities as part of the current IGA agreement that we have in place for sewer service.

2:38

The reports are presented today.

2:40

No action is required for from committee.

2:43

Just brought to your attention for awareness.

2:45

But if there are questions, I have online this morning, Ryan O'Donnell from uh Baker Tilly that will be able to answer any questions that you may have.

2:57

All right.

2:58

Thank you.

2:59

Vice Chairman.

3:00

Thank you.

3:01

Um, so these were separate for each of the regions.

3:04

It looks like though, overall the system had a gain, but the that northeast had a loss, right?

3:13

Like 300,000.

3:15

So are we taking that into and the Southeast had the largest net revenue?

3:21

So are we looking at that when we put together um the rates?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety█████████████████████████25%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████████23%
Public Works████████████████16%
Water And Wastewater Management███████████11%
Environmental Protection█████████9%
Procedural█████5%
Economic Development█████5%
Budget███3%
Stormwater Management██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Lake County Public Works & Transportation Committee Meeting - August 5, 2026

The Lake County Public Works and Transportation Committee met on August 5, 2026, at 8:30 AM. The meeting included a roll call, adoption of the consent agenda, a presentation on the fiscal year 2025 sanitary sewer system finances, and unanimous approval of multiple resolutions for transportation and infrastructure projects. No public comments were received. The committee also received a report on vegetation management improvements.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 8.1: Consent agenda approved unanimously by voice vote (motion by Kasman, second by Roberts).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made.

Discussion Items

  • Item 8.2 – Fiscal Year 2025 Sanitary Sewer System Income and Expenses: Finance Manager Micah Thornton presented the report for the Northwest, Northeast Central, and Southeast districts. The Southeast had a net gain of $1 million, the Northeast had a loss of about $300,000, and the Northwest had a slight gain of $45,000 due to debt service transfers. Members discussed the volatility of expenses due to construction project activity and requested trend data for the past two years. No vote was taken; the item was informational.
  • Item 8.3 – Manitou Creek Shoreline Stabilization Project: Approved a contract with Copenhaver Construction Inc. for $230,751. Discussion included erosion at the East Main Pump Station, a $10,000 grant from the Stormwater Management Commission, and a request to coordinate with the Long Lake sanitary system.
  • Item 8.4 – Motor Fuel Tax Appropriation for Maintenance: Appropriated $830,600 for street/highway maintenance materials and $212,100 for deicing materials. Shane Schneider highlighted the use of recycled glass beads in paint for reflectivity and low-VOC paint.
  • Item 8.5 – Rollins Road Right-of-Way Appropriation: Appropriated $600,000 from the quarter percent sales tax for right-of-way acquisition. The project will add a third lane, reconstruct a bike path, and install new sidewalks. Construction targeted for 2029.
  • Item 8.6 – Fairfield Road Right-of-Way Appropriation: Appropriated $350,000 from motor fuel tax for right-of-way acquisition. The project includes a new multi-use path and potential connection to Grant Woods Forest Preserve. Construction targeted for 2029.
  • Item 8.7 – Hainesville Road Agreement with Round Lake Beach: Authorized a cost-sharing agreement for water main, sewer relocation, and non-motorized improvements. The village will pay 100% for utility relocation and 20% for sidewalk/path costs.
  • Item 8.8 – Hainesville Road Agreement with Round Lake Park: Same project; village’s cost participation is about $100,000.
  • Item 8.9 – Hainesville Road Agreement with Avon Township: Township agrees to own/maintain a path segment; cost participation about $17,000.
  • Item 8.10 – Hainesville Road Construction Engineering Services: Approved contract with Baxter & Woodman Inc. for $1,756,530 and appropriated $2,108,000 from quarter percent sales tax.
  • Item 8.11 – Buffalo Grove Road Right-of-Way Appropriation: Appropriated $300,000 for right-of-way acquisition to fill non-motorized gaps and reconstruct ADA ramps. Discussion included railroad crossing safety, new traffic signal, and pedestrian crossings. Construction targeted for 2030.
  • Item 8.12 – Structural Engineering Services: Approved contract with Collins Engineers Inc. for $294,700 for bridge inspections and underwater scour inspection through 2028. Funded from quarter percent sales tax.
  • Item 8.13 – Vacation of Unused Right-of-Way in Gurnee: Approved vacation of 0.09 acres at Washington Street and IL 21, appraised at $21,000, to facilitate economic development.
  • Item 8.14 – Director’s Report on Vegetation Management: Shane Schneider reported enhanced information on the DOT website (location map, date range, herbicide types, vendor contact) and development of field flags with QR codes for public notification. Committee requested promotion via social media.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved.
  • Resolution 8.3 (contract for Manitou Creek stabilization) approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 8.4 (motor fuel tax appropriation for maintenance) approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 8.5 (Rollins Road right-of-way appropriation) approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 8.6 (Fairfield Road right-of-way appropriation) approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 8.7 (Round Lake Beach agreement) approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 8.8 (Round Lake Park agreement) approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 8.9 (Avon Township agreement) approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 8.10 (Hainesville Road engineering services and appropriation) approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 8.11 (Buffalo Grove Road right-of-way appropriation) approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 8.12 (structural engineering services contract) approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 8.13 (vacation of right-of-way in Gurnee) approved unanimously.
  • The committee requested follow-up on trend data for sanitary sewer systems (to be provided).
  • The vegetation management notification improvements (website and field flags) will be implemented; social media promotion was directed.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. Today's August 5th, 2026, and I call the Lake County Public Works and Transportation Committee meeting to order at 8 30 a.m. In addition to being able to attend in person, remote attendance has been made available to the public via Zoom at the link on the agenda. This meeting is being um recorded through Zoom. Um can you please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Can I get a roll call, please? Yes. Member Kasman? Here. Member Hewitt? Yeah. Member Hunter? Here. Vice Jeremy. Present. Member Roberts. Member Wasick. Here. All right. Um, there's no addenda to the agenda. Is there any public comment today? There's no public comment. All right. No cheers remarks or unfinished business. New business is our consent agenda. Item 8.1. Can I get a motion and a second? Motion by Kasman, second by Roberts. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. All right. Item 8.2 is a presentation of the fiscal year 2025 schedule of income and expenses for the county's northwest, northeast central, and southeast sanitary sewer systems. Good morning, Director McFarland. Good morning, Chair, Committee members. Uh Austin McFarland, Public Works Director. Correct. Could you speak up a bit? Oh, sorry. Micah Thornton, um Finance Manager. So each year, as part of the audit process, a special income and expense reports are prepared for uh public works. The reports are specific to certain communities, our municipalities, I should say. The Northwest, the Northeast Central, and the Southeast Sanitary Sewer communities are the ones for which these reports are prepared. The reports are delivered to these municipalities as part of the current IGA agreement that we have in place for sewer service. The reports are presented today. No action is required for from committee. Just brought to your attention for awareness.

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