Lake County Financial & Administrative Committee Meeting – October 30, 2026

Chair Frank called the meeting to order at 8:33 a.m. The transcript gives the date as Thursday, October 29, but the supplied meeting-date metadata is 2026-10-30; this summary uses the supplied date. Member Clark was absent with prior notice; a quorum was present. The committee approved consent items and capital contracts, discussed FY 2027 budget amendments and Monsanto settlement fund guidelines, and made ethics commission appointments.

Public Comments & Testimony

• None were offered.

Consent Calendar

• Consent agenda items 8.1 through 8.18, except 8.3, were approved by voice vote (motion by Vice Chair Park, second by Member Bolitzik). Item 8.3 was not acted on because the L&J Committee postponed the West Publishing Corporation contract resolution; no action was taken.
• Carryover budget items 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3 were moved to the end of the agenda and acted on with the FY 2027 budget discussion.

Capital Project and Contract Approvals

• 8.19 – Approved a job order contract project exceeding $350,000 for HVAC replacement and server room improvements at the Lake County Central Permit Facility, not to exceed $825,000. Facilities Manager Jeremiah Barco said the server room air conditioning and UPS were beyond useful life and critical; the county worked with IT on the project.
• 8.20 – Approved a similar job order contract project at the LCDOT Administrative Building for HVAC replacement and server room improvements, not to exceed $600,000. Barco said the traffic management center server room had outdated equipment and was right-sized after moving most applications to the cloud. The two projects were bid together through the job order contractor so work could be coordinated. Used equipment would be recycled, with refrigerants recovered.
• 8.21 – Approved a resolution authorizing a contract with Amber Mechanical Contractors (identified in the transcript as "of LSIP") for $3,491,000 for the Babcox Medical Bay Air Handler Unit Replacement. The two air handlers, original to the 1985 jail, serve the entire second floor medical area, jail administration, and library; the project will modernize HVAC controls and connect to life safety systems.

FY 2027 Budget Discussion and Carryover Actions

County Administrator Patrice Sutton walked through amendments discussed at prior budget meetings. The committee gave consensus to bring the formal amendment back for final action at the next meeting. Key elements included:

• Public Works: an emergency vehicle was added from the capital fund using fund balance, after being missed on the asset listing.
• Public Defender staffing: the staffing NPR was revised from one principal attorney for 10/12 of the year to staggered funding for principal attorneys, one assistant attorney funded from the start of the year, and a senior investigator. A proposed $350,000 federal funding contingency was removed because it was not the right funding mechanism; a different solution is planned.
• Sheriff's staffing NPR: Sutton said the original recommendation had been two of the four requested administrative clerks handling orders of protection, failures to appear, and warrants, and that the data supports the need.
• SSA 18: an amendment added $60,000 for property tax and $60,000 in capital expenditures for public works sanitary system upkeep; the property tax applies only to SSA 18 residents in Delmar Woods subdivision.
• Sheriff's Office vacancy savings: a $2.5 million correction was funded by reducing the operating contingency by about $2 million, still within the 0.2% to 1% policy range, and by reducing the settlements expense line in the risk fund by $807,000, leaving $400,000 available for settlements.
• Risk and liability fund: projected FY26 revenues were about $13 million and expenses about $10 million, adding an estimated $3 million surplus; the FY27 reserve requirement was estimated at about $14 million against an approximately $24 million fund balance. Property tax allocations were reallocated among funds while keeping the total tax amount the same.
• Health department and TB clinic levies were increased after a $2 million FY25 fund balance decrease and a projected FY26 deficit. Stormwater funding was also increased because of a deficit.
• VAC: the $3.5 million building set-aside was removed from the property tax request and will instead be covered by a transfer from the general fund, consistent with capital budgeting practice. This increases displayed totals by $3.5 million but does not increase total taxes.
• Sutton noted alternatives, including revisiting the bridge and matching tax ordinance from 2012/2008 or reducing recommended new program requests.
• Deputy Administrator Matt Myers presented the required annual summary of county organizational memberships, including the Illinois Association of County Board Members, NACO, ISECO, Lake County Municipal League, Lake County Partners, CMAP, Lake County Extension Foundation, Visit Lake County, environmental organizations, Waste Agency of Lake County, and GSEP. GSEP's $39,000 contribution is new to the list but has been in the budget since FY24.
• Member Maine asked about the Lake County Extension Foundation and suggested having it present; Chair Frank pushed back, saying prior debate had settled on a compromise and he did not want to reopen it. Member Maine said she would visit the foundation directly.
• Member Maine also questioned why the Des Plaines River Watershed Working Group was listed separately, saying it should be in the public works budget. Staff explained it appears because it is paid from GOE or county board funds.
• Member Maine raised a broader concern about accumulating property taxes in capital funds and urged the board to consider using bonding capacity instead; she noted all bonds are alternative revenue bonds and the county has unused capacity. Chair Frank agreed the issue should be discussed next year and noted the unfunded capital project list is almost $1 billion. Sutton said the county now uses an operating transfer for capital rather than a general surplus sweep.
• The committee agreed with the recommended amendments. A motion to amend items 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3 as recommended was approved, and the items were then approved as amended (motions by Member Hewitt/Vice Chair Park, with seconds by Member Bolitzik/Member Hewitt).

Monsanto Settlement Fund Guidelines

• Staff proposed guidelines for use of the $7.5 million Monsanto settlement funds, to be incorporated into Lake County's 2015 economic incentive policy. The funds would be available through a rubric-based process, not a competitive NOFO.
• Proposed guiding principles include environmental benefit and water quality, equity and environmental justice, Lake Michigan watershed focus, positive health outcomes, partnerships and matching, restoration and remediation, economic development benefit, and projects that can be completed relatively quickly.
• Initially, staff proposed that no less than 50% of funds go to projects in Waukegan, North Chicago, or Zion. Members debated 50%, 75%, 80%, and 100%. Member Roberts supported 100% investment in underserved communities; Member Hunter supported about 75% to avoid locking out Beach Park and Winthrop Harbor; Member Maine preferred no hard 100% and emphasized the Lake Michigan watershed. Final direction was to add Beach Park and Winthrop Harbor to the community list and set the floor at no less than 75%.
• Members also asked for the F&A Committee to review the guidelines annually.
• Members discussed whether projects must demonstrate a net positive impact on air or water quality; some supported a 50% requirement, while others preferred relying on the rubric. Staff noted the rubric already contains a minimum score of 60 for projects to be presented to the committee.
• Eligible uses include green space and park creation or restoration that improves environmental health and quality of life. Funding requests may not exceed $2 million per request, and projects are generally expected to be completed within two years, with extensions available.
• Staff said the Monsanto funding would be added as a new incentive type in the economic incentive policy, with Lake County Partners as point of contact for economic-development uses and county review for quality-of-life projects.
• Chair Frank suggested naming the funds the "Monsanto Environmental Contamination Settlement Funds" to clarify their source; members agreed.
• Staff also floated creating a separate economic development incentive fund as a fourth incentive type. Member Bolitzik expressed concern that this needed more discussion and a clearer process before creating a fund; staff said it would return as a separate discussion.

Appointments

• 8.24 and 8.25 were approved jointly: reappointment of Andrea Hess to the Lake County Ethics Commission and appointments of Daniel Kuznitsky and Lindsay Nemchek to the Ethics Commission. Members thanked all candidates; the motion was by Member Bolitzik, second by Member Hewitt, and passed by voice vote.

Key Outcomes

• Approved consent agenda 8.1–8.18, with no action on 8.3.
• Approved 8.19, 8.20, and 8.21 capital/HVAC contracts with no opposing votes.
• Approved amended carryover items 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3 after adopting Sutton's recommended budget amendments; final FY2027 budget action is scheduled for the next meeting (the transcript says Thursday, November 5).
• Directed staff to revise the Monsanto fund guidelines to add Beach Park and Winthrop Harbor, set no less than 75% for the listed communities, add annual F&A review, and return next week for action.
• Approved the Ethics Commission appointment resolutions.
• Went into executive session on a personnel matter and returned to regular session; no additional member remarks were made and the meeting was adjourned.