Good morning, everybody.

Today is Tuesday, March 10, 2026, and I call the Lake County Board meeting to order at 9 a.m.

The meeting is being recorded and live streamed on our website, Comcast Channels 18 or 30, and ATTU versus Channel 99, as well as on Zoom at the link on the agenda.

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

Per County Board Rules and the Open Meetings Act, attendance via remote means is permitted for qualifying reasons as long as the majority of the board members are physically present.

We have been notified in advance by member Frank that he requests to participate, excuse me, participate electronically due to work reasons.

We do have a physical quorum.

If there's no discussion, I'll ask county staff to note in the minutes that member Frank is present and eligible to vote on matters before the county board today.

And as a reminder to member Frank, just keep your camera on, please.

Thank you.

Okay, before we uh get into the meat of our agenda, is there anyone board members would like to remember in a moment of silence today?

Thank you.

Member Wasick, followed by Vice Chair Cunningham.

Thank you, Chair.

And I'd like you to keep in your thoughts and prayers Cindy Manson of Greg's Lake, who recently passed away.

She was a beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and like to so many who passed away.

Uh in our and she passed away recently, sorry.

There are countless stories of generosity and kindness that she showed people and many other acts of kindness.

She loved being in nature and particularly birding.

Her email address was Birdie Girl.

Her garden and flowers were second to none, and you couldn't help but catch her excitement when she saw Pilated Woodpecker or a Rose Brested Grossbeak or the Spring Warbler Migration.

She even asked that donations be sent to our forest preserves in lieu of flowers.

She also loved a good party, live music, and celebrating all that life had to give.

She had two daughters, so begging for people to come and uh in about a scene.

What happened to also we all know that keep praying for the Jesse Lewis Jackson family?

They need your prayers.

Thank you.

Uh member Schlick.

Thank you, Chair.

Hi, so you all join me this morning in remembering Officer Christian Pacente of the Waka of the Wakanda Police Department.

Umffer Pacente suddenly passed away unexpectedly this week.

He was a he was a growing member of our community and had fit in well, and the community loved him, and the police department loved him, and his sudden passing has struck all of us.

So I ask you remember his family, the Wilkana Police Department and the entire Wakata community today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Anyone else?

If you'll join me in a moment of silence, please.

And to report for which you can't with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

May I have a roll call, please, Clerk Vega?

Member Altenburg.

Here.

Member Campos.

Here.

Member Caston.

Member Hart.

Here.

Member Cunningham.

Here.

Member Danforth.

Here.

Member Frank.

Here.

Member Hart.

Here.

Member Hewitt.

Here.

Member Hunter.

Here.

Member Kennish.

Here.

Member Kyle.

President.

Member May.

Oh, uh, she is on her way.

Thank you.

Member Prior.

Here.

Member Peterson.

Present.

Member Roberts.

Here.

Member Schlitz.

Here.

Member Belissa.

Here.

And Mr Watson.

Here.

18 presidents.

Thank you.

We have no identity agenda.

We have several special recognitions and presentations today.

We're going to start with our first one, which is the special recognition celebrating the life and legacy of Reverend Jesse L.

Jackson Senior, to be read by Vice Chair, Dr.

Mary Ross Cunningham.

Thank you.

And this is special recognition celebrating life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Lewis Jackson Senior.

Where else Reverend Jesse L.

Jackson seen delegate his life to expanding civil rights, strengthen Democrat advance in social justice, and create equal opportunity for all peoples.

And whereas through more than five decades of special peaceful Africa coalition building and more leadership.

Reverend Jackson challenged our nation to confront and equal qualified and work towards a more inclusion social and where inspiring and mentored by Dr.

Mar Luther King Jr., Reverend Jackson cared for us the principle of nonviolent civil engagement and no more cause, courage, mobile mobilize, excuse me, people of all backgrounds to work towards a more just and equal social and whereas as fountain and president of the Rainbow Push coalition, he promoted economic empowerment, voters, engagement, education, access and civil rights protection that have opened doors for generation of America.

And where else Reverend Jackson history president campaign being one of the first Afro-American candidate to seek a president nomination, energize the new voters, help redefine, redefine the possibility of American Democrats, amplified on the represented voice, and demonstrated that leadership is roots, encouraged and convinced and where else his voice consistent consistent call our nation to this to its highest idea, reminding us that just to require action, unity require understanding, and democrat require participant, and whereas his endures message of hope, unit and share, responsibility continue to guide community scribe and to ensure fairness and dignity dignity for all.

Now therefore it be recognized that Lake County Board join resident throughout Lake County in recognizing the profound impact of Reverend Jesse L.

Jackson, Senior, on our national and our collective civil life, and be it further recognized that the Lake County Board extend its sincere sympathy to the Jackson family for their loss and reaffirm our commitment to advance the principle of eco-justice and opportunity that define his life work.

Date on Waukegan, Illinois, March 10th, 2026.

And this is really great for our county.

Uh Chihad and I already sent a proclamation down to the family and uh in a letter, and they talked to me and they told me they appreciated and we we sent the plate all down already.

So this is something that he deserved as he did a lot for he didn't look at one set of uh uh peoples, he looked at everybody, and uh I worked real closely with him, which he had a chap by here that I ran for my church.

So thank you.

I want to thank you.

So Chia Hart and the county board for doing this, and they appreciate it.

Thank you.

Any other comments on this item?

Uh I just wanted to put forward there's so many amazing things about all he has um had achieved over his lifetime.

The thing that struck me, and I wonder if it'll strike you as well as we work in government at this just local level, uh, somebody had worked with him for decades, right, and said never once did he ever hear uh Jesse Jackson Senior raise his voice in any of the negotiations or conversations that he was having, he felt that it was very important to always remain professional and to understand the other side's point of view.

And I thought, wow, that's that could not have been easy given the things that he was working on.

So certainly he he did tremendous things, and um, there's a lot to be said in the way that he did them.

So thank you, Vice Chair.

Thank you.

Uh, next item is uh item number two, special recognition honoring March as Women's History Month to be read by Jessica Belitzik.

Whereas Women's History Month recognizes the extraordinary achievements of women throughout history, acknowledges the obstacles they have overcome and brings awareness to the importance of women in shaping the history of our nation, and whereas women of every race, class, and ethnic background have contributed to the growth and strength of our nation in recorded and unrecorded ways, whereas women have consistently demonstrated resilience and strength in overcoming the adversities and barriers placed before them because of their gender while making sacrifices to ensure our nation prospers, and whereas women have led the way in establishing a more equitable and democratic society by championing basic rights through the fight for the right to vote and ensuring equal access and opportunity for all through the feminist movement, and whereas women have tirelessly fought for fair pay along with equal educational and career opportunities, so women in our country and throughout the world can pursue rewarding careers and reach their highest goals, and whereas many cultural, educational, and charitable institutions have been founded by women while contributing substantial time and money to these organizations and causes to create an impact that affects and benefits countless other women and men worldwide.

And whereas, because of the numerous efforts of women trailblazing women throughout United States history, women have made and continue to make groundbreaking contributions in every aspect of society, including science, education, law, and literature.

Now, therefore, be it recognized that this county board of Lake County, Illinois, celebrates March 2026 as Women's History Month, and be it further recognized that this county board encourages residents to use women's history month as an opportunity to reflect on and share the significant contributions, successes, and challenges of women throughout our history to strengthen our collective resolve to live up to the ideals of freedom, equality, and justice for all.

And that's this country no longer treats women as second-class citizens in too many areas, including uh within the confines of our own Department of Justice.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, seeing nothing further, uh, item number three is a special recognition promoting March 2026 as Problem Gambling Awareness Month, and I'm actually going to read this one.

Uh, whereas Lake County joins Nicasa Behavioral Health Services, the National Council on Problem Gambling and the Illinois Council on Problem Gambling and recognizing March 2026 as problem gambling awareness month.

And whereas creating awareness about excessive gambling educates the public and policymakers about the effectiveness and availability of social and financial services for problem gambling.

And whereas problem gambling is a serious public health issue affecting millions of Americans of all ages, races, and ethnic backgrounds nationwide, resulting in significant social and economic cost for individuals, families, businesses, and communities.

And whereas about 21,000 Lake County residents are affected by a gambling disorder, and adolescents and young adults are at greater risk.

And whereas our country currently has more, excuse me, I think it says our country, but I'm gonna say that's probably our county.

Currently has more than 400 establishments operating over 2300 video gaming terminals, in addition to a casino and access to online sports wagering.

And whereas many factors lead to gambling behavior becoming a gambling disorder, but gambling disorders are both preventable and treatable, and recovery is possible.

And whereas Lake County's led the way in funding various social service agencies to help prevent and mitigate the cost of problem gambling.

And whereas Lake County residents are encouraged to reach out for resources, including counseling, treatment, self-help, and support groups by contacting Nikasa at 847-546-6450, calling or texting 211, celebrating or contacting the state's 24-hour helpline at 1-800 GAMBLER or test it or texting G A M B A M B at 833234.

Now, therefore, be it recognized by this county board of Lake County, Illinois that March is problem gambling awareness month in Lake County, and be it further recognized that the Lake County Board advocates for responsible policymaking, research, prevention, and treatment of problem gambling, and encourages residents to find understanding for problem gambling and know that help that is and know that help is available.

Dated at Waukegan, Illinois on March 10, 2026.

And we do have Elizabeth Thielen here.

She is a senior director at Nicasa.

So thank you so much for being here today.

This one is remote through it.

It's nice to see you.

Yeah, thank you.

That's for you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

I appreciate the opportunity to talk about why official recognition of National Problem Gambling Awareness Month right here in Lake County is so important.

You heard some big numbers in the proclamation.

Over 400 establishments with video gaming terminals, totaling over 2300 terminals, and 166 million dollars lost by players.

Over 21,000 adult Lake County residents experiencing gambling disorder, otherwise known as problem gambling or gambling addiction, with the rate of problem gambling in adolescence being two to three times that of adults.

The toll of underage gambling taking on being taken on Lake County families is tremendous.

And as opportunities to place a bet expand, we can anticipate those numbers will grow.

Lake County is the location for numerous lottery kiosks, bingo halls, and of course a casino property.

Venues like the American Place Casino have the power to inform their players about safer gambling practices and do partner with agencies like NYCASA to provide education and free screenings to their patrons at events like National Gambling Disorder Screening Day, which is today, and we will be there today, working with casino patrons to check in on their gambling.

Gambling is going digital, however, with gambling features like loot boxes and video games, online sports betting, day trading, and prediction markets, an astounding number of adolescents and emerging adults are experiencing significant gambling related harm.

I get calls almost daily from parents of young people age 16 up through their mid-20s who are depleting all of their funds, their parents' funds, and even turning to theft of parents and grandparents in a desperate effort to win back what they've lost.

Efforts like this proclamation advocate for public awareness, prevention, early intervention, and treatment to prevent and mitigate gambling related harms.

As a person in long-term recovery from compulsive gambling myself, I know how it feels to be alone and invisible in my pain, unaware of the many complicated factors that can contribute to developing such a condition and unaware of the help that's available.

Thank you to Lake County Board for formalizing problem gambling awareness month as just one way that Lake County residents can learn to more safely navigate the changing gambling landscape.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for being here.

Any comments?

Thank you, Member Clark.

Thank you.

I was really glad to see this today.

As a college professor, I can say this is one of the biggest issues facing my students.

They share with me commonly how they actually can't get away from gam from gaming online.

They'll show me in class pop-ups coming.

Did you want to pop with these prediction markets on sports betting?

And they'll even show me they're like, look, Professor Click, it just came up on my phone, it's coming up on my laptop asking for bets.

They're like, I'm trying to stop.

I've had many students share they've they've lost their money for their tuition, they've they aren't telling their parents what they need the money for.

They turn to things to try to get more money to pay their gambling habits.

And I think it's something we need to talk about, and I think it's something people need to talk to their, especially young people about.

I've talked to many parents who are like, oh, my kids don't, you know, they're they're 17, they're not doing it.

It's coming to them.

It's coming to them, and and it's they start with video games from what my students have said, and then they start adding things in the video games.

So it seems like it.

And so I really want to encourage people to talk to people in your lives, um, open those conversations so that people can, and and also I I really think it's important that we talk about this from a funding standpoint.

I've said this before, I would like to ask the governor and our state legislators that some of this money that they get, the tax money from gaming, should go to FIFO and programs and education to for people who have uh have gaming addictions.

And I'm very proud of this board for putting our money to 211, but the municipalities should join us and the state should join us because there are the people need these programs in this education.

I think it's I don't think people realize what a big issue this is.

So I really I'm hoping maybe on our legislative agenda or something, we could really push for funding more of this because it is it's really hard to see people who are really my students who are really suffering from this, and they don't know where to turn.

And I, you know, I can say call two one-one, but they need to have more education, and they just need to have understanding of what's happening to them.

So um, I'm glad we're doing this, and I hope we keep uh keep speaking up on this.

Thank you.

Anyone else?

Um, I will just add, I I really appreciate the work that Nakasa does uh several years ago.

Um, well, people should know that Lake County was late to the game in adding uh video gaming, and um we wanted at the time, and it was a very close vote, um, but I think people felt like oh, well, we should have a level playing field for our restaurants.

And so um this board passed video gaming for the unincorporated area, and it just exploded.

Um, we did bring it forward again, unfortunately, and and many thanks to Member Peterson uh for partnering with me on that.

Unfortunately, it failed.

I might even say on a technicality.

Um, but then the state legislature passed a law that county boards cannot have any oversight over video gaming.

However, I do want to recognize and thank the City of North Chicago for, I think it was just last year, taking the steps to put a moratorium on any more video gaming establishments or machines because of the negative impacts that they were perceiving were happening in the city of North Chicago.

And so uh they really wanted to study uh to study that.

So kudos to uh Mayor Rockingham and his team uh for looking into that.

That is something that we do not have the option.

Uh member Wasick, who's our chair of legislative and I have chatted about that, and so hopefully that's something that we can bring forward.

I think if a home rule count uh municipality can do it, surely Lake County can do it too.

Uh, the casino does have a way that people can opt out of gambling, um, sort of a self-identification because there's facial recognition software.

All of these small uh video gaming places, um, I'm not gonna name any, but anyway, they uh they do not need to do that.

Um or they cannot, I guess I would say.

So it is really a huge problem.

And you know, when you're playing games on your phone and you get all these free games, right?

And I'm thinking about, let's say, Candy Crush or whatever, um, a lot of the data that comes from those video games are shared with the companies that do online gaming because they're really able to measure how much more, how many wins do we need to give this person to keep them playing, right?

So they can take that information from this um little video game, right?

But then utilize that to better understand human behavior to keep people gambling.

So you know, just thought that was very interesting when I learned that and just really grateful to Nikasa and especially for Elizabeth for her work on this important issue.

So thank you.

Okay, uh moving on to uh item number four, which is a special recognition, acknowledging March 18 as National Public Defender Day in Lake County to be read by Member Roberts.

Whereas March 18th is celebrated annually as National Public Defender Day, commemorating the landmark U.S.

Supreme Court ruling of Gideon v.

Wayne Wright in 1963, and whereas this 1963 decision affirmed that the sixth excuse me, Sixth Amendment of the US Constitution guaranteed the right to legal counsel for all individuals facing imprisonment, even if they could not afford to hire an attorney.

And whereas the Gideon v.

Wayne Wright decision led to the creation of a public defenders agency across the United States to ensure equal access to justice under the law, and whereas the Lake County Public Defender Office was established in 1972 with the appointment of its first public defender and has since served the residents of Lake County with professionalism and dedication.

And whereas since 1972, there have been seven public defenders appointed, and whereas Gregory Tixay is the current Lake County Public Defender, and whereas the Lake County Public Defender's Office currently has 48 employees, including support staff, social workers, investigators, and attorneys who work collaboratively to support the constitutional rights of their clients.

And whereas the public defenders and the public defense professionals are part of the defense community for those in need, providing important professional work every day in both criminal and civil cases.

And whereas Lake County recognizes the work of public defense attorneys in vital is vital to our community as they safeguard due process, strengthen public confidence in the justice system, and ensures fairness with our courts.

Now, therefore it be recognized by this county board of the Lake County, Illinois, that March 18th is National Public Defenders Day, and the Lake County Board thanks the entire Lake County Public Public Defenders Office for their work serving those in need of their services, dated at Waquegan, Illinois on March 10th, 2026.

Thank you.

Thank you.

If I can say word, I just want to uh say it just takes a special kind of person to be a public defender.

They advocate tirelessly for our community and people who are underserved and underprivileged, and I just can't think for all the work he does.

So thank you.

Thank you.

And he is here today.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Good morning.

On behalf of all the members of my office, I'd like to express our gratitude for this recognition.

I believe that your acknowledgement demonstrates this board's commitment to a justice system that treats individuals with dignity and fairness while protecting the rights that the fine this country.

We work tirelessly, as you mentioned, to ensure that equal justice isn't simply aspirational, but a lived reality for those people that we serve.

So I appreciate you and your support.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we have a special recognition honoring March 15th through March 21 as National Agriculture Week to be read by Member Peterson.

Whereas National Agriculture Week will be celebrated March 15th through the 21st, 2026, and whereas Illinois is home of more than 70,700 farms, with Lake County having over 30,000 acres of farmland with 302 farms, 94% of which are family-owned and operated.

And whereas Lake County also hosts over 15 farmers markets to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to our residents directly from local farms.

And whereas agriculture supports 7,168 jobs in the county, according accounting for an estimated 2% of total jobs.

And whereas agriculture and related industries generate total sales estimated at 1.5 trillion nationwide.

And whereas Illinois farmers support the food security of our residents, providing an essential service is farmland is an infant resource that is vital to agriculture, food production, human life, and the economic well-being of our county.

And whereas farmers have continued to adapt, modernizing their profession while creating a positive impact on the environment by utilizing newer tools and technology to better manage soil nutrients, water runoff, and air quality, which all which allows them to use fewer natural resources and reduce their carbon footprint while producing more food.

And whereas the jobs created, taxes generated, technologies embraced, and environmental practices implemented by farmers make agriculture a valuable industry within our county and across the country.

Now, therefore, be it recognized by the County Board of Lake County, Illinois, that agriculture contributes to our county in incredible important ways and is the backbone of our country.

And be it further recognized that the county board and staff will work to support and promote the development of agriculture for the benefit of our county and all of its residents.

Thank you.

Any comments on this item?

The members of the Lake County Farm Bureau were unable to join us today, but I still wanted to read it because I think it's very important that we recognize the work that our farmers do.

So thank you for indulging us in this one.

And we'll send that over to the Farm Bureau.

And item number six is a presentation of Lake County's America 250 announcements to be read by Deputy County Administrator Matt Myers, and I want to again thank members Diane Hewitt and Jennifer Clark for your thought leadership and great ideas on bringing this idea forward.

Thank you.

Good morning, Matt Myers, Deputy County Administrator.

My introduction this morning is with a brief video that Chris will play or I will play.

And I'll give a couple comments after the video.

Nearly 250 years ago, a group of people made an extraordinary declaration that government exists to serve the people, to protect their rights, and to help them pursue a better life.

Here in Lake County, that idea isn't just something we commemorate.

It's something we live every day.

From elections and public safety to health, clean water, and the roads that connect us.

These services are how the principles of the Declaration of Independence show up in our real life throughout our communities.

Now you'll hear from some of our departments that are living out the Declaration of Independence right here in Lake County.

From handwritten ledgers to secure modern technology, our role has always been the same: to ensure transparency, accountability, and trust in local government.

When people participate, when their voices are counted, self-government works just as the founders intended.

The declaration recognizes that among our fundamental rights are life and liberty.

Protecting those rights is at the heart of what the Lake County Sheriff's Office does every day.

Our mission is to not only enforce the law, but to serve the people, protecting life, preserving liberty, and earning trust through service.

Established by voter referendum in 1956, the Lake County Health Department exists because residents believed public health was essential to a strong community.

From our early roots in tuberculosis care to becoming a federally qualified health center, we've expanded access to care, supported behavioral health, and protected community well-being across Lake County.

When people are healthy, they have the opportunity to thrive, and that's central to the promise of the Declaration.

So self-governance depends on strong foundations, and for us, that's ensuring we all have safe water and reliable source system.

The Lake County Department of Public Works was established in 1962 to support growing communities and replace unregulated source systems with centralized dependable infrastructure.

Today we continue that work by safeguarding the county's most precious resources are water and modernizing the systems we built decades ago.

Pipes on the ground may be out of sight, but they are essential to our everyday freedom of access to clean water.

Providing connections to opportunities and resources has always been essential to self-government.

More than a century ago, Illinois led the nation with one of the top economies and set out to get out of the mud by transforming dirt roads into reliable, hard surface transportation networks.

That statewide construction was largely led by the counties and resulted in the creation of the Lake County Division of Transportation.

Today we plan, design, build, and maintain roads and paths that connect people to jobs, schools, grocery stores, and each other while using modern technology like real-time traffic management to keep Lake County moving safely and efficiently.

From the earliest roads to today's modern transportation network, our work has always been about the same thing: connecting people to opportunity via the shared work of self-government.

The Declaration of Independence wasn't a finish line.

It was a beginning.

Nearly 250 years later, its ideals are carried forward through service, accountability, transparency, and trust between government and the people it serves.

In Lake County, our work reflects the values of the Declaration of Independence through the activities you heard about today and everything else that we do.

As part of our America 250 initiative, Lake County is creating ways for you to learn about the county's history, our current operations, and the amazing historical resources located around the county.

I invite you to visit our America 250 website for more information.

That was so good.

Congratulations, Staff.

That was really that was so good.

Thank you for doing that.

I want to thank communication for all the work they put into that and all of our participants and actors and everybody else.

So it was a great introduction to what we are trying to announce today, which is the Lake County Independence Academy.

What we're putting together as part of our celebrations is a resident education program that we're offering that will teach how Lake County government works, framed around the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Themes included will be regarding self-governance, civic responsibility, and the American promise.

Lake County will begin taking applications, hopefully later this week.

25 applicants will be accepted to learn about the operations of local government and how they connect to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Applicants must live in Lake County and be 18 years of age to apply, at least 18 age, uh 18 years of age to apply.

The Lake County Independence Academy is scheduled to begin on April 22nd.

It'll take place over a course of six uh seven weeks.

Participating departments include some of those that you saw today, including the County Administrator's Office, the County Clerk's Office, the Health Department, the Division of Transportation, Public Works, the Sheriff's Office, and the Forest Reserve.

Many thanks to those departments for all the work that they're putting into this and to the department heads for participating.

And additional information will be released over the coming week.

As a reminder, we still have our youth art and essay contests for K-12 schools.

There's a number of flyers there.

If any board members want to take them and share them with your school districts, we can get more if you'd like.

Otherwise, any information regarding our academy or that SA Contest is on our website, lakecountyl.gov forward slash America250.

Thank you.

Great.

Thank you so much.

And I just want to do a shout out for Member Volitsik, who mentioned to me like, wouldn't it be great to have sort of like a civic engagement program where people can really understand how government works?

And I was like, wow, that seems like a really good idea.

Talk to Patrice.

And so anyway, and I just saw Jessica's hand up.

So I'll start with Jessica followed by Member Kasbin.

Well, thank you to Patrice and Matt and staff for being very receptive and excited about that idea.

And you know, we all know how much the county does and how many just wonderful civil servants make up county government.

And I think, you know, understanding what the county does is so important to building that trust and overcoming some of the you know misinformation and distrust of government that we often see.

So just understanding the services that are provided, why they're there, how those roads, you know, in the public works and clean water and um, you know, they're there because uh, you know, not by accident, but because a group of people worked hard and decided and then worked hard to make sure that those things were there.

So I think these these kinds of civics academies are so important.

I'm so glad that the county is pursuing it, and I hope we all share this information um in every way that we can.

Get people involved.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Member Casman.

Thank you.

I'd like to also thank uh Jennifer and Diane for your leadership on this, and uh thanks so much to the staff, Patrice Matt.

Um, so appreciate it.

Um, that is a very instructive video.

I know when I first ran for the county board, and even you know, tried to chip away at it over time.

But the number one question was what does the county government do?

And I got good at answering it, but that video is a great tutorial on exactly what the county government does.

It's not all-encompassing, but it is a great overview, and it's a tool that I'll use uh to share with my residents because it's just a really well done.

I really appreciate all the efforts so far.

Thanks.

Thank you.

I have member Clara Fob and Member Hunter.

Yeah, thank you.

Yeah, I have to say that video is amazing.

I um that was great, and I really learned something.

And I think I would just want to thank um Patrick Patrice Um and Matt and everybody in this board for celebrating our America 250 and with Diane, because um, you know, I think understanding where our country has been, understanding history helps us understand what's going on today.

I always tell my students you can't understand anything unless you know where we came from.

And so my class in economics even is a lot about history because we need to know where we came from to get here.

And I teach a whole class now on government and it's with a special focus on unsurprisingly county government.

And my students have told me over and over, they're like, everyone should know this.

And I'm kind of like, well, you should have known this, like about you know the different roles of government, the federal versus state versus local.

But I think doing these programs and having those um, I've seen other things also on our social media and things about the history of Lake County.

So I think it's really helping our residents understand what we do, understand what how they you know can support local government when and actually understand how things get done, which is really important.

Um so I'm really excited to see everything, and I just I'm I'm I'm excited to see what's next.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Member Hunter.

Thanks, Chair.

Um, great video.

Um you know, one of the things that that we all face when we're out with our constituents is you know, the cost of government.

And you know, we're about six to seven percent of the tax bills.

We all know that sometimes it's hard to re try to translate to the people out there.

But when you look at all those services for six to seven percent of what the tax bill is, it's overwhelming.

I'd have liked seen something with a court system in there.

We want a great court system.

Uh I get why we don't put the jail in there.

I I get that, but you know, but at the same token, they are big pieces of what we do.

Um, and thanks again.

I I think that is really a nicely done piece.

Yeah, agreed.

Uh, thank you, Member Wasikfought Member Roberts.

Thank you, Chair, and thanks to staff and and everybody who had something to do with this, and Jessica's suggestion that we renew our effort to re-engage people on civic duty and and what it means to be an American.

And thanks so much to Patrice for standing in front of the Lincoln Monument.

Abraham Lincoln actually spoke a block away, April 2nd, 1860.

His original speech is lost to history, but I'm pretty sure he would have said, you know, we cannot escape history.

It's important for us to know it to have context and to live our lives in a very um enlightened way.

Thank you.

Thank you, Member Roberts.

Thank you.

Um I just want to say what a great video, like everybody else says, and I I can't wait to share it across, you know, uh everyone's constituents, our districts.

And I, you know, you all know that I by now, if you don't, I'm I'm part of Kawanas, my Koana's group, and we have um a present.

We today they came to our meeting to give us a presentation to do these ornaments, and they included the 250 50th year.

Um also the 50th year of the celebration anniversary of our koanas, but the talent that the kids have in just creating um what history means in these ornaments is amazing, and I hope that we can have all the villages and cities and municipalities in our county to also do exactly what we're doing because it's gonna be a huge celebration, and I can't wait to share what the students from Zion Benton High School have created with these ornaments and their talent.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Member Altenberg.

Thank you, Chair.

So not to be repetitive, but that was an awesome, awesome video that I will be sharing with my constituents.

And every year I get to go to a political fair at Stevenson High School.

And I'm always amazed.

Almost every student who walks up to me has never heard of county government, has no idea what we do.

And I think this just is a great opportunity to use this, you know, the 250 anniversary as an you know, a time for education, a time to really get our constituents familiar with everything we do.

And we do do a lot of important services, and I love talking to people when I go to the doors about all the things, you know, all the different things that we do provide if they're if they're not sure about that.

So thank you so much, and I'm really excited to see what else is coming out for our anniversary celebration.

I feel like every meeting is another exciting thing that we're gonna offer.

So thank you for taking it seriously and doing such a wonderful job.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, seeing nothing further, uh moving on to public comments.

I do believe we have a public comment for an item not on the agenda.

We do have two public comments this morning.

Um for those making public comment, uh, comments must be related to agenda items or otherwise germane to the business of the county board and must not be redundant.

Each person making public comment will have a maximum of three minutes to make their comments.

The three-minute time limit is cumulative, so if a person makes a comment on more than one item, then they will have a total maximum of three minutes for their public comments.

Uh for those attending in person, there's a uh up on the podium here.

There is a uh light.

When you have 20 seconds left, the yellow light on the podium will come on when the red light comes on.

Your time is expired.

When appropriate matters raised by public comment may be referred to the appropriate standing committee.

Those making public comment shall refrain from commenting about the private activities, lifestyles, or beliefs of others, including county employees and elected officials if those comments are unrelated to the business of the county board or county government.

Comments that are uncivil, rude, vulgar, profane, or otherwise disruptive will not be allowed.

And finally, any candidates running for public office must refrain from including comments that promote or support a candidate, including refraining from identifying oneself as a candidate for public office.

Our first public comment is from Brandon Ewing.

Well, good morning to you all.

Uh, as mentioned, my name is Brandon Ewing, and I'm here representing the Lake County June Team Celebration Committee and the African American Museum at the England Manor.

Appreciate all the conversations about history.

I recently sent an email to the members of the board, but I wanted to come in person as well and extend a direct invitation for Lake County to participate in this year's June Team Parade and Festival on June 20th, right here in Waukegan.

Last year we welcomed more than 3,000 people from across the region.

One family drove from four hours away.

Um families, small businesses, performers, and visitors come together to celebrate freedom, culture, and community.

What started as a local celebration is quickly growing into a regional event that brings people together from all of Lake County, which means tourism, economic opportunity for our local businesses, and is positive attention for our communities.

But beyond the economic impact, there's also a deeper reason why this moment matters across the country.

We are seeing increasing debates about how American history is taught and remembered.

Events like Juneteenth help ensure that we continue telling the full story of America, our triumphs and struggles that brought us where we are today.

These celebrations uh create opportunities for education, which um, as evidenced by what you guys are doing, you care about.

Uh so my ask today is very direct.

I want to invite members of this board and Lake County government to participate in the parade and attend the festival.

Uh, second, I'm asking the county to consider supporting the event uh at the county level through sponsorship and/or partnership as we continue building something that represents the entire county.

This is an opportunity for Lake County to stand behind an event that celebrates our shared history, it strengthens our entire community, and it brings people here.

So I appreciate your time, and I hope to see many of you in the county celebrating with us on June 20th.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Dave Wilms.

Good morning.

Good morning.

I'm Dave Wills.

I'm a Lake County resident.

I'm also a retired A-B environmental science teacher, and I appreciate all the comments on education today about civics understanding.

I also think there's a lot to be done for environmental education as well.

I'm a passionate person, concerned about both climate change, but I'm also now working in solar development.

The company I work with just did a one megawatt project for the Regional Operations and Communication Center, which is a net zero building, and I commend the entire board for promoting such a facility.

Today I'm here to inform you that the federal tax incentives for solar are going to disappear in July, the first week in July.

And that's an important credit for people that or counties that do solar because it pays 30 to 50 percent of the cost of the installation.

And that's a very important consideration.

Solar is an expensive undertaking, but uh there's a lot of incentives.

We have about 50 30 to 50 percent of a solar project is paid for through the federal uh support, which exists today, disappearing.

40 percent is paid by state incentives for the solar renewable energy program, and about 7% is paid for Comet paid for by Comed's uh distributed generation rebate.

Altogether, these three incentive programs pay for almost the complete cost of the project.

Um but losing these federal tax credit is a big thing.

Um, however, to get that tax credit, a solar project only has to be initiated before the July deadline, and that's what I encourage the county to consider doing.

I know you have a very good history and just promoting sustain sustainability work.

Um I have an idea that might help continue that.

I've included it electronically in the packet, and I'm on the sustainability commission in Libertyville.

I also work with the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus, so I'm trying to help municipalities all over the Chicago land area lower their car um carbon footprints.

This is my Hellmary for adding more solar to Lake County.

Um please feel free to reach out with any questions, and thank you so much for your time today, and also so much that you do for sustainability and helping people understand how the county works and maybe all go together together.

Thank you.

Thank you, Dave.

Okay, nothing further.

Thank you.

Okay, uh, my chair's remarks.

I just want to say how excited I am that the Navy is preparing the Halsey Village site for demolition, which you've seen if you have been traveling in the area of 137 and Green Bay Road, you'll see the fencing going up.

Um, this is the first phase of a three-phase project, and this first phase includes the demolition of buildings, foundations, utilities, paved areas, and other structures in the southeastern.

I'm gonna call it a quadrant, really, and that had been cordoned off by residents for decades because of the environmental remediation that needs to occur in there.

But unfortunately, this phase one doesn't include that.

Um just a reminder that Lake County and the Navy are working together on this project as a result of an agreement that this board approved some time ago, and that will allow uh the Navy to save money and move the project along more quickly.

So, according to Carl Carrar, our director of facilities and construction services, our FNA committee is going to hear more about this project for approval at either the April 30 or May 7 meeting.

And as Carl says, the um the Navy will be routing their approval up to the Pentagon level for this project.

They expect that process to be complete by May 8th, and then um following that, the it the PO will get issued demo will begin as early as June and should take between four to five months to finish it.

Uh, this is something that every time uh the mayor of North Chicago and I get together, we talk about it.

It is such a great opportunity for that entire area for the city of North Chicago.

I might say even the region.

Um, we don't know what the Navy is going to do with that land.

Um, I'll just say it's certainly my hope that it is uh given over to the City of North Chicago, which could benefit greatly from commercial development along 137 and uh Green Bay Road and perhaps some housing in the uh in the middle portion.

So board members, board members will hear more about that coming up.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Senator Duckworth recently.

We did talk about Halsey Village, um, as well as the recent announcements uh from the Trump administration, cutting and then restoring grants, in particular behavioral health grants uh that have previously been uh approved by Congress.

Um I know I said it last month, I'll say it again.

Illinois gives more money to the federal government than we get back.

And so it's very important that, and we're very fortunate to have a state and our attorney general Kwame Raul, who is fighting to ensure that the state of Illinois is getting that funding that was already approved.

Uh and I really want to recognize and thank our county board administrator, excuse me, our county administration for the work they've done in creating a contingency plan.

We've talked about, I think it was HCS, and then again at Finance, about how important it is for us to have a plan in place, and I'll save my comments for that.

I'm sure other people will have uh more comments on sort of that process, but you know, we really need to have a plan in case the Trump administration is successful in their efforts to cut housing uh funding, education funding, child care funding, health care funding, and food security program.

So that will be coming up.

And last week I was honored to participate in World Business Chicago celebration of Chicago's birthday and to celebrate that this is the 13th year in a row that Chicago Land has earned the title as the number one United States Metro for Corporate Relocation and Site Selection by Site Location Magazine.

13th year in the row in a row, that is unprecedented.

So it was really uh a great celebration.

And as you're talking to people, they may also be surprised to hear that Chicago land area, obviously that includes Lake County, uh, is number one metro in the country.

And I just I'm gonna throw in there that this is the ninth year in the in a row that Conde Nass Traveler readers have a uh voted Chicago to be the number one best big city in the United States uh in their reader's choice awards, which is also unprecedented.

So if you haven't been down to Chicago, uh please please visit, you will not be disappointed.

Uh that is all I have today.

Uh we have no unfinished business, new business.

We'll start with the consent agenda for item seven through 38.

May I have a motion, please?

Motion by Vice Chair Cunningham, second by member Kyle.

Uh member Hunter, you have a comment.

Yes, uh thank you, Chair.

Um, I'd like to refuse myself from item number 18 due to uh the nature of my primary deployment.

Okay, thank you.

Yes, member Maine.

Thank you.

I'd like to um I want to make a comment on number 38, so I guess if I should ask for it to be removed.

Okay, item 38 will be removed.

That is the resolution approving a remote work policy for everybody.

So we will um add that to our finance agenda.

Okay, all right, thank you.

May I have a roll call, please, Click Vega.

Member Altenburg.

Aye.

Member Campbell.

All right.

Member Caskin.

Aye.

Member Clark.

Aye.

Member Cunningham.

Aye.

Member of Danport.

Member Frank.

Member Hart.

Aye.

Member Stewart.

Aye.

Member Hunter.

Member Commissioner.

Aye.

Member Kyle.

Member Maine.

Aye.

Member Correct.

Aye.

Member Peterson.

Aye.

Member Roberts.

Aye.

Member Schwartz.

Aye.

Member Bolitzik.

Aye.

Member Watson.

All right.

Thank you.

Motion passes.

Moving to the regular agenda.

Item 39 is an ordinance amending chapter 111.043, which is the number of licenses in the Lake County Liquor Control Ordnance, increasing the number of liquor licenses.

I'm pleased to report that we have two businesses that will be opening or likely to open pursuant upon approval by Lake County Liquor Control Commission.

I want to thank member uh Roberts and Hunter for serving on that with me.

Um, this is just to increase the number of available liquor licenses, and then you would likely see those businesses.

Oh no, that's all we needed was the number of licenses.

Okay.

All right, may I have a motion, please, on this item.

Thank you.

Motion by Member Roberts, second by Member Kenisnik.

Any discussion on this item, seeing none, all those in favor?

Any opposed?

Motion passes.

Thank you.

Uh moving on to Health and Community Services Committee, Chair Park, who is going to read the Board of Health report.

Thank you, Chair.

So this is the Board of Health report for March 2026.

Last week, the health department reported a scam targeting pet owners searching for lost animals.

Individuals are impersonating Lake County Animal Care and Control and other local organizations to exploit people during emotionally difficult situations.

In these reported cases, scammers contact individuals who have recently posted online about a missing pet and falsely claim the animal has been found.

They then allege the pet has severe life-threatening injuries requiring emergency surgery, or say that payment is required to retrieve the pet.

The caller demands a large sum of money and pressures the owner by threatening euthanasia release or loss of custody if payment is not made immediately.

Residents should remain calm if they receive a call from a suspected scammer and very verify such any such claims directly with the organization through official channels.

Be aware of red flags, such as urgent demands for payment, inability to provide contact information or threats against a pet.

Anyone who is a victim of this or a similar scam should contact local law enforcement.

The health department's North Chicago Health Center reopened in mid-February following a burst pipe in January 2024 that forced its closure.

During that time, clients were seen at other health department locations, primarily the Belvedere Medical Building.

Board members should have received an invitation to an upcoming open house at the North Chicago Health Center as we welcome clients back.

Believe it's on when next Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m.

The health department's leadership and staff are grateful to the community for its patience during this during these repairs.

And that concludes my report.

Thank you.

Okay, moving on to item 41, please, Chair Park.

Item 41 is a resolution approving a memorandum of understanding between Lake County and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, also known as CMAP to advance the work of the Lake County Coalition for Housing, also known as Housing Lake, and I so move.

Thank you.

Motion by Member Parks, second by Member Wasick.

Any discussion on this item?

All right.

Thank you, Member Park.

Yes, just want to um thank all of those involved.

I mean, there was quite a bit of work over the last oh gosh, year or so.

Um, having several meetings uh that um uh Eric Wagner and staff and many others were involved in putting together.

So thank you for um all of those involved in Lake County, including our partners, developers, uh the municipalities and everyone in helping pull those together.

We're now moving into the execution phase and and hopefully working closely with CMAP to develop a uh well-established housing framework that we can then uh work with our municipalities and and moving forward.

So thank you to everyone involved.

Thank you.

Member Kasman.

I would also like to thank Director Wagner for um his leadership in this, as well as our staff and Chair Hart.

Um, it's our number one problem housing.

And I was fortunate to attend all the meetings for Housing Lake and thought it was incredibly well run and executed.

It was an all hand all hands-on-deck situation for our staff.

Uh, I know a large number of you took uh took part in it.

And I'm really excited as we move into this phase two to see the work that we're going to do to make a difference in our housing stock in Lake County as we move forward.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Member Altenberg.

Thank you, Chair.

So I want to echo everything that member Cadman said.

I totally agree.

It was was I was at just about all the seminars.

It was really amazing, and we had wonderful participation from across the county.

So we look forward to phase two of this whole process, and we really urge all of our municipalities to work to partner with us because this is really one of the most important issues out there right now, and it's really gonna make a difference for our economic future and for um a host of other things that are important to us.

So um, I really hope the municipalities keep keep at it and really work with us to uh build some very important housing for the next couple decades.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And I was going to have this in my chair's remarks, and I thought, well, I'll just wait and talk about it here.

I also really want to thank the CMAP team.

I want to thank our Lake County uh building planning and development department led by Eric Wagner.

I especially want to thank Dominic Strezzo, the entire community development team, and our county admin team, uh, Ruth Ann Hall and Lacey Simpson for their hard work on it and their leadership and collaboration with so many different entities who really participated in this process across several months.

Um there were nonprofits there, there were foundations who were very interested in the work that um that this group is doing to um to create more housing.

Um what did they say sometimes the missing middle, right?

It's not all affordable housing.

It's town homes, it's uh places that seniors can move into.

Um so I really want to thank them for their engagement.

Uh member Altenberg brought up municipalities, and you know, that is really critical is having our municipal partners uh participating in this fully.

Um Lake County has more municipal governments than any other other county outside of Cook, any other county in the state of Illinois.

So if you think about that, all of those municipalities have to be part of these conversations because they have their own zoning.

So I would say uh thank you so much to those municipalities that are uh engaged in this project.

And um, if you don't, as a county board member, don't see your municipality there, uh, maybe chat with them in your regular meetings and talk about how important it is.

So thank you so much.

Uh seeing nothing further, uh, all those in favor?

Any opposed?

Motion passes.

Thank you.

Moving on to lawn judicial committee, Chair Cunningham.

Thank you.

Uh 42 additional giant resolution authorized and two new principal public defend to staff a new newly consolidated domestic violent courtroom at an estimate calls of approximately 135,000 dollars to vote in Maine and off the fish a year.

But 2026, and this is we all know through the committee, this is really needed.

So move.

Thank you.

Motion by Vice Chair Cunningham, second by member Hewitt.

Any uh discussion on this item.

Thank you.

Member Hewitt, followed by Member Schlick.

Thank you.

Um, I I just want to make a quick comment.

Uh to me, this is so vitally important that we look at certain issues, and domestic violence is something that you don't hear of very often.

Often it's hidden behind closed doors and people are not aware of.

And I will say, as a survivor of domestic violence, this is so important.

Thank you.

Member Schlick.

Thank you, Chair.

Um, I I'll be supportive of this item and the next item.

I would just be remiss.

You know, I feel for the public defender's office and the state's attorney's office.

I think they're reacting to something, obviously they got sprung on them.

Just remember to our department has we go through a pretty comprehensive budget process.

I think consolidation and ideas are great.

Um, I'd really love to see them in the budget process so we can plan for this and not react.

That's really my only statement.

I am supportive of this.

I understand what they're trying to do.

I get it.

But just you know, in the future, I'd really love this stuff to go through the vetting process, go through the whole budget process so we could plan out accordingly.

That's really my only statement.

I'll get off my horse now and and I'll vote yes for these next two items.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Member Roberts.

Thank you.

Um I am supporting this 150%.

I I know that we talk about the budget process, things do happen.

Um as we talked about in law and judicial, I I asked the question, how does this free up other courtrooms?

And I think the answer was yes.

And I it's just an and it's also important that we have a dedicated courtroom just for domestic violence because of the nature of that of that crime, and it's just I think things will move faster.

So I support this.

Thank you.

Any other comments on this item?

Um, I I'm just going to chair um that I agree with Member Schlick, uh, board members may recall that at finance, this item was kicked back to lawn judicial because the question was hey, what are the other costs that are going to be incurred as a result of this change, which I understood was learned about in November.

Our county administration is usually starting with their um budget conversations.

I don't know, is it as early as June or May or something?

I mean, it's pretty early.

So then for that announcement to come through in November, you might imagine that that's a scramble for people to understand how they need to react to that.

Public defender had to come to lawn judicial, then to finance, then back to law and judicial.

He maybe even had to go to lawn judicial three times.

Then state's attorney came to law and judicial and then to finance.

And as a result of it getting kicked back from finance, and there had to be essentially a whole other meeting with county administration, uh, the finance team, the chief judge, other people to get a better understanding of what the costs are.

So you know, people have said, like, hey, you know, follow the budget if you want to see what what an organization values.

And I I really believe in that, and I am supportive of this.

We are all a team.

There's you know, separate branches of government.

Uh, the portion that we have to adhere to is really our budget.

And so just as we don't want to uh impose certain things on other departments that really don't uh shouldn't be our place.

The budget is our place, and there's a great deal of planning that goes into it, and that is why it is so crucial for us to have these conversations during the budget process, and also for decisions that are made in divisions, uh, even if they are a totally separate division, like the um the 19th judicial circuit for those meetings to occur with their partners to get an understanding of what the impacts are.

So, as a result of it getting kickback from finance, we found that there were more costs, which you will hear on the next item.

So uh I don't seeing no other comments on this item.

Uh we have a motion, a second.

All those in favor?

I need opposed, motion passes.

Thank you.

Moving item uh on to item 43, please.

43 is the joint resolution authorized in addition, senior victim special for the state's attorney office to staff a newly newly consolidated domestic bottom courtroom.

It and estimate cause approximately sixty-four thousand dollars for the remaining of the fisher year 2026.

And this is about the same as one week.

I just read.

So uh so I so move.

This is important.

Thank you.

Motion by Vice Chair Cunningham, second by member Roberts.

Any discussion on this item?

Uh thank you.

I'll just add that I know um State's Attorney Reinhardt was at that meeting and said that, and I'm sure you guys are putting stuff together.

I'm still very interested in sort of the packet of best practices, please.

Um, so if you could get that and we'll send that out to the full board, I think that's always interesting.

Um, and I I apologize, but I if I heard this incorrectly, but I I wasn't sure that I heard that cases would move faster.

That was going to remain to be seen.

But what you do have are going to have content experts in there, and I agree with my colleagues who have said you know, domestic violence is a is a problem, and we saw big increases during COVID.

It's very important to have people who are working together who understand these cases uh in an empathetic way in a professional way.

And I just really um uh appreciate uh the votes of support on this.

Um, it's very important.

So thank you very much.

We have a motion and a second.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion passes.

Uh moving to public works and transportation committee, Chair Clerk, item 44, please.

Thank you.

Item 44 is a joint resolution authorizing the execution of an intergovernmental agreement for retail sanitary sewer and water supply services to the village of Grays Lake.

This is a renewal of a contract that goes all the way back to 1985.

And I so moved.

Thank you.

Motion by member Clark, second by member Wasick.

Any discussion on this item?

Member Wasick.

Comment, I want to thank um uh public works director Austin McFarland, uh, the committee and go to Grays Lake.

Um whenever we do an IGA, it's always a great example of interagency cooperation.

And in this case, uh, we're extending our services to Grays Lake so they can do some development in particular areas and kind of fills in their gaps for infrastructure.

And I know we're always talking about infrastructure and a need for it, but this is a great example of how we can extend it and and work with other agencies.

So thanks to everyone for making this possible.

Thank you.

Great, thank you so much.

Um moving on to planning, building, zoning, and environment committee, Chair Altenberg.

Did we vote?

Oh, oh gosh.

Sorry about that.

Uh we have a motion and a second.

Uh, any other discussion seeing none, all those in favor?

Uh any opposed motion passes.

Thank you.

Uh moving on to planning building, zoning and environment committee, Chair Altenburg.

Thank you.

This is a resolution adapting a program design for the Lake County Green Business Program.

And I so move.

Thank you.

Motion by Member Altenberg, second by Member Kenisnik.

Any discussion on this item?

Okay, I'm gonna discuss it.

I just want to say I really appreciate the hard work of Robin Grooms.

I'm sorry I don't remember your married name.

My apologies, Robin, but um really want to uh thank her for her hard work on this.

This was a program that I read about in Sacramento County, and um I just thought it was a really good way to recognize those um agencies or organizations that are caring for the land or the water or the air here in Lake County.

Um Lake County has more endangered species than any other county in the state of Illinois.

Um we have so many wetlands, and it's really important that we protect our natural spaces.

I can think of um two right now that uh, you know, Swalco in my district, uh Lake Forest Hospital, um, I think that might be Paris' district, who's really done great work with their expansion, and instead of having lawn, it's all um native plants, at least in one uh enormous section of their of their property.

So um just really appreciate the conversation and hard work by our committee as well.

So thank you.

Oh, member Altenburg.

So, yeah, I just want to add, and this is a wonderful program.

It's the first time we're doing this, and people are gonna be able to identify businesses that are um making this big effort to run their business a certain way, and and they're gonna be certified as a green business by they have to follow a certain criteria, certain policies that we've laid out.

And um, it's gonna make it easier for people if they are really want to be engaged with somebody who is truly making that effort that we're gonna have you know a recommended list of these types of people, these types of businesses who they'll be able to work with.

And we're very excited about rolling out this program.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Um seeing nothing further, all those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion passes.

Moving on to finance administrative committee chair Frank, and we'll go back to item 38, please.

Thank you, Chair.

Oh, sorry.

Okay, go ahead.

Uh item 38 is a resolution approving a remote work policy, and I move to approve.

Thank you.

Motion by Chair Frank.

Second by member Clark.

Any discussion on this item?

Member Maine.

Yes, thank you.

I I'm supporting this, but I I had concerns that I raised at the committee, and I just want to share them publicly.

And this is a good thing.

Um, you know, it does mention the reduction in carbon footprint.

Um, and these people are also saving money because they don't need to drive, they don't need to park.

And I I just have I just want to have us not forget our employees who don't have this option, who tend to be those um perhaps at a lower pay scale who must physically be here who are cleaning and things like that.

We saw during COVID that there was really a disparity as to who had to physically come to work and who did not have to physically come to work, and that mostly fell along economic lines.

And while this is important and there's good value here, I think when we look at other aspects of things that we do in the county, whether it be free parking or other things like that, that we need to keep in mind, our employees who do not have this option, and who by the very nature of their job, they must come here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other comments on this item?

Thank you, Member Frank.

Yeah, thank you, Chair.

Um appreciate the points about equity that member Maine uh raised in committee and again today.

Um, and it's a really important consideration.

And it's one of the reasons why we have this policy uh before us today is because we're we're not being overly prescriptive here.

We're authorizing the administrator to go forward and implement some standards as discussed in committee.

There was uh a lack of uniformity in the way that the policies and work flexibilities were being administered, not only uh based on position or equity, but based on uh sort of departmental discretion.

And so the that by running this to the administrator's office, there's gonna be a little bit more standardization and a little bit more fairness, and I think this is an important step forward.

Great, thank you very much.

Seeing nothing further, all those in favor?

Any opposed?

Motion passes.

Thank you.

Item uh 46, please.

Thank you, Chair.

Item 46 is a resolution committing Lake County's economic development opportunity funds in the amount of $2 million to so large for the sole purpose of superfund site environmental cleanup and or site preparation activities related to the proposed development at 1831 North Pershing Road in Waukegan, Illinois.

And I move to approve.

And if I may, Chair, I'll just like to remind uh the board that we had previously uh allocated some of the funds from a uh Monsanto settlement and set it aside uh within our funds to say for future economic development uh purposes.

This is really a more specific uh clarification to say hey, this is what these funds are going to be used for.

We're not appropriating them or spending them here today.

It's just an affirmation and a little bit more specific.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Member Hewitt.

I just wanted to second it.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Did I not who was my yeah, I made the motion, Chair.

He made the motion and then made comments.

Thank you.

I'll tell you.

I think I need more coffee.

So I do have a motion by member Frank, uh second by member Hewitt.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

Uh Member Park.

Yeah, I just uh I'm really excited about this um this opportunity for for all of us, really.

I mean, the so large's activities are really innovative.

And um, if I recall it's building photoelectric panels that would float on water, right?

And so I think it's the the right type of activity um and uh innovation that we want here in Lake County, and so I'm really excited about it.

I think the funds are fantastic based on what we got from Monsanto.

So it's an appropriate use of these funds, and um excited to see this site get cleaned and uh move forward.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Any other comments?

Uh I'm also really excited about this.

This is um been many, many meetings and really appreciate uh the hard work of the uh finance administrative committee who heard a presentation and for those board members who stuck around to listen to it as well.

Uh, we have such a great opportunity uh to bring this important economic development uh business to Waukegan, many, many jobs.

Um, and of course, then the jobs, of course, that comes from even setting it up.

So did you have a second comment?

Yes, I forgot to mention I also want to thank um Kevin Constantine and Lake County Partners for all of their effort in in bringing this in.

I just can't say enough.

This is the exact type of activity that we want to see in this county.

So thank you, Kevin, and Lake County Partner staff for bringing this opportunity to us.

Yes, thank you for adding that in.

Uh okay.

Seeing nothing further, all those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion passes.

Item 47, please.

Item 47 is a resolution authorizing the conveyance of property owned by Lake County, located at 105 East Illinois, Route 83 in Mundaline to the Illinois Department of Transportation for its Route 6083 improvement project.

And I move to approve.

Thank you.

Motion by Member Frank, second by member Volitsick.

Any discussion on this item?

This item does uh require a roll call vote.

May I have a leave for the pre oh, want to redo?

Let's do a first steam.

Okay, all right.

I have a roll call, please, Clerk Vega.

Sure.

Member Altenberg.

Aye.

Member Member Caskin.

Aye.

Member Clark.

Aye.

Member Cunningham.

Aye.

Member Cam.

Aye.

Member Frank.

Aye.

Member Hart.

Aye.

Member Hewitt.

Aye.

Member Hunter.

Aye.

Member Kenishman.

Aye.

Member Kyle.

Member May.

Aye.

Member Ferrar.

Aye.

Member Peterson.

Aye.

Member Roberts.

Aye.

Member Schler.

Aye.

Member for Lindsay.

Aye.

Member Wasick.

All right.

19 aye.

Thank you.

Motion has moved to item 48, please.

Member Frank.

I'm sorry, did you call for 48?

Oh, yes.

Yes, please.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Item 48 is resolution approving an emergency appropriation of $2 million to establish a federal funding contingency reserve from the general fund balance.

I move to approve, and I really want to thank County Administration and all the committees that uh contributed to the policy.

Thank you.

Uh we have a motion by Member Frank, second by member Clark.

Any discussion on this item.

Thank you, Member Casman.

Oh.

I want to thank my fellow county board members for showing leadership on this topic.

We've had a lot of sort of very disruptive and sudden funding changes and um notice of funding opportunities from the federal government.

And this will, and thank you to the staff, particularly Patrice and the finance staff for finding this contingency money.

It will allow us to weather this up and down storms of what the federal government is handing down in the in the topic of human services.

And I'm I'm just really grateful to my fellow county board members for caring so much for the underprivileged people that this funding affects.

So thanks so much.

Thank you.

Member Altenburg, followed by Member Clark.

So yeah, this there's a lot of disruption in uh federal funding that could be coming down the pike, and especially uh we are concerned about our health and human services.

There's a lot of health department, housing, um, other types of funding that helps human beings, and we're very worried, you know, about the future and um if we're going to be getting the money annually as we should from the federal government.

So and I also think there's been a lot of misinformation out there that our county is not paying attention to this.

Our county is paying a lot of attention to this matter, and we are very concerned about every constituent, and we want to make sure that all our programs are properly funded.

So I'm very proud of our county board and our staff, and we have spent countless hours on this, and we want to make sure that there will be funding in place for all necessary programs that we need.

So thank you very much, and I will be supporting this.

Thank you, member Clark.

Thank you.

Yeah, I think this is probably one of the things I've been hearing most from constituents the last few months, is they're very concerned.

They hear about random federal cuts over tweets, and they don't know what's gonna happen to our essential services.

And I've always told them at Lake County, we have a plan, working on a plan, and this is part of the plan.

And so I it's really important for our residents to know that this will allow us to weather whatever happens, we will be able to come up with a plan, it'll give us time, and it'll allow for continuity continuity of services.

And um, I've been telling people we were gonna vote on this, and I can say it's been very well received.

And I think people should know government is working for them.

Lake County government is here for them, and we will um ensure that these uh services go.

So I'm very proud to support this.

And I want to thank County Manager County Ministry of Patrice Sutton and the whole finance staff for working on this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, seeing nothing further.

May I have a leave for the previous roll call?

Yes.

Thank you.

Motion passes.

Uh we have no petitions, correspondence, and miscellaneous business.

We uh do we have any member remarks and requests?

Thank you, member Maine.

Thank you, Chair.

Um, this month, as in past months, the chair mentioned that Illinois is a donor state to the federal government.

And last month that got me thinking, and I had heard that before.

And and yes, since about 1988, except excluding COVID years, Illinois has been a donor state, as has Texas, Florida, New York, California, Connecticut, and we're a donor state because we have a lot of people.

One of the reasons is a lot of people with high incomes and a lot of companies that have a big value because that's how the federal government gets their money, right?

Income tax, those sort and those sorts of taxes.

It got me wondering is Lake County a donor county to the state of Illinois.

I I don't know.

I think that would be something, I don't know how to find that out, but are we a donor with this idea perhaps implied that there's an injustice there?

I was, however, able to look at our townships.

Vernon Township represents because the county gets money based on EAV.

Vernon Township represents 13% of the EAV in the county, and that's more, it's 30% more than the population of Vernon Township.

Vernon Township pays 30% more EAV taxes to Lake County government than the next nearest um uh township does.

Vernon Township pays the same amount of taxes as the lowest six EAV townships in the Lake County.

And so therefore, Vernon Township is a donor township to Lake County.

That's just a fact.

All right.

So I I think that we need to be aware of these things.

Um, we need to wonder um what it is we want.

Are we looking for something different?

That Illinois is a donor state to the federal government, and therefore the federal government, we need more from them.

If that's true, then I want to know is Lake County a donor county to the state of Illinois.

And I know that Vernon Township is a donor township to the county of Lake, and therefore Vernon Township should be getting more money from Lake County government.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And I'll just uh comment on that.

My comment that Illinois is a donor state to the United States of America is not to say that Illinois should get more.

It's to say that Illinois has been targeted by the Trump administration, I believe, because of our political leaders, uh, and an effort to take away funding.

Well, and also how our state as a whole vote and to take away funding for the state of Illinois that might not be taken away for another state that uh might vote in a different way most recently.

So I think it would be an interesting argument if for somehow the county of Lake was targeting Vernon Township to try to get more money from them or something, because that's all I can think about in terms of putting this in the same playing field.

But I do think it's important to be clear that our state is under fire.

And I actually believe Lake County is a donor county, along with DuPage and I'm trying to think of what the other county may be, but it could even be all of it could be all of the collar counties.

And that's not my argument, right?

Um I believe inherently, even as individuals or as an organization or a government entity, we are here to lift up others who need that.

Member Casmin just spoke to it in her uh most recent comment, which I appreciated.

Um state and therefore Lake County is being targeted to take away essential health and human services that our residents rely on, whether you are rich or you are poor.

So uh that is really my point, but I'm happy to look into um and get the data about whether or not Lake County is a donor county.

And if we are indeed a donor county, I'm certainly very proud that we have the ability to give to others and still live a wonderful quality of life here.

So thank you.

Any other things?

Thank you, member remarks.

Oh, thank you.

Member Mainfob and Member Casman.

Thank you.

And thank you for that clarification.

I think it was implied in what you said.

I too feel that we should lift up people, and that's what I said.

I was going by your sole statement.

You had not elaborated on that statement at that time.

So thank you for elaborating on your statements.

Sure.

Hi, Chairman Hart.

And it is in response to the federal government targeting the state of Illinois to reduce our funding more than other states.

Um, it is a political targeting, and it is going to result in a lot of human suffering for a lot of not evidence-based decisions that are hasty and unfair.

And as far as I know in this county, we have never targeted any township because of the way they vote to receive less services.

And that's the difference.

We don't do that.

The state of Illinois doesn't do that, but the federal government, I think for the first time in history is doing that right now.

It's completely, completely abnormal and aberrant behavior by a federal government, and we should not stand for it.

I'm sorry, I don't usually talk this politically and unequivocally, but this is crazy.

It's throwing a lot of our systems into complete chaos, and it is completely federal government generated.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

Seeing nothing further, I so adjourned this regular September 2025 session of the County Board of Lake County until April 14, 2026.

Thanks, everybody,