OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Lake County Board Meeting - May 12, 2026

County Board — Tuesday, May 12, 2026
BodyLake County, Illinois
SessionCounty Board
DateTuesday, May 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:29:31

Transcript — Verbatim
1:01

Thank you.

1:01

Good morning.

1:02

Today is Tuesday, May 12, 2026, and I call the Lake County Board meeting order at 9 o'clock.

1:08

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

1:17

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

1:23

Her county board rules in 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.

1:30

We've been notified in advance by Member Hewitt that she requests to participate electronically for medical reasons.

1:37

A physical quorum is present, and if there's no discussion, I'll ask county staff to note in the minutes that Member Hewitt is present and eligible to vote on matters before the county board today.

1:47

And as a reminder to Member Hewitt, uh please ensure your camera is on at all times.

1:53

Thank you.

1:55

Before we get into the uh bulk of our meeting, is there anyone members would like for us to remember today during a moment of silence, please?

2:03

Thank you, Member Schlick.

2:05

Thank you, Chair.

2:06

I asked that you all join me in remembering Joe Altman of the Village of Conda.

2:10

Joe passed away on April 22nd, he'd had a battle with a number of diseases, and he fought hard and valently over the time.

2:17

Joe was a very big pillar of the community of Wakanda, serving on the Park District Board and the Police and Fire Commissioner for over 20 years.

2:24

He also was a prominent businessman in the area in his loss, he'll be greatly missed.

2:29

So thank you.

2:30

Thank you.

2:31

Anyone else?

2:34

You join me in a moment of silence, please.

3:01

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

3:07

Thank you.

3:08

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

3:11

Member Altonburg.

3:12

Here.

3:13

Member Complex here.

3:15

Member Casbin.

3:16

Here.

3:17

Member Clark.

3:18

Here.

3:19

Member Cuttingham.

3:22

Member Danforth.

3:24

Member Frank?

3:25

Here.

3:26

Member Hart.

3:27

Here.

3:28

Member Hewitt.

3:29

Here.

3:30

Member Hunter.

3:32

Here.

3:32

Member Kanishnick.

3:34

Here.

3:34

Member Kyle.

3:37

Member Maine.

3:38

Present.

3:38

Member Perak.

3:40

Here.

3:40

Member Peterson.

3:42

Prison.

3:42

Member Roberts.

3:44

Here.

3:44

Member Schlick.

3:46

Here.

3:46

Member Bolitzer.

3:48

Here.

3:49

Member Wasick.

3:50

Here.

3:51

Thank you.

3:52

We have no addenda to the agenda today.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters██████████████████████████████████34%
Procedural████████████12%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Community Engagement███████7%
Environmental Protection██████6%
Public Safety██████6%
Transportation Safety████4%
Cannabis Regulation████4%
Public Health███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Lake County Board Meeting - May 12, 2026

The Lake County Board met on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 9:00 AM. The meeting was live-streamed and open to the public in person and via Zoom. A physical quorum was present, and Member Hewitt participated electronically for medical reasons. The board approved consent items, heard public comments, and passed several ordinances and resolutions, including a contentious debate on elected official compensation.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 6 through 47 were approved on a single roll call vote with 18 ayes. Member Hunter recused from items 20-23 due to primary employment. Member Schlick abstained from item 23 (Wakonda Fire Protection District).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Benjamin Matthew (Long Grove) urged the Lake County Division of Transportation to coordinate with local municipalities when repaving county roads, citing a project on Old McHenry Road that Long Grove was unaware of.
  • Patrick Kubker (Gurnee) opposed a planned median on Hunt Club Road, stating it would prevent him from safely crossing the road with farm equipment. He suggested a left-turn signal change as an alternative and requested help to maintain access.
  • Susan Bazorgi (Independence Academy participant) requested the board create a task force of county board members, business leaders, and citizens to gather and distribute information on energy projects like natural gas pipelines and data centers, aiming to reduce community divisiveness.

Discussion Items

  • Special Recognitions: The board recognized May 9, 2026 as World Migratory Bird Day, May 3-9 as National Correctional Officers Week, and honored employees Dr. Darum Reddy (35 years, Health Department) and Sandra Smith (35 years, Circuit Clerk's Office).
  • Presentations: Deputy County Administrator Matt Myers gave an update on the America 250 Independence Academy (seven-week program, ongoing). The first recipients of the Lake County Green Business Program were awarded: Right at Home Lake County and SGA Youth and Family Services.
  • Chair's Remarks: Chair Hart highlighted the Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District's life-saving responses; the EduCare Lake County facility in Zion (opening mid-2027, serving 174 children); a Waukegan High School issues showcase; stormwater improvements in North Chicago; a new elementary school at Forestal Village; the Lake County Partners Big Event (550 attendees); and a listening session on Vista Hospital (May 14, 2026).
  • Item 48 (Ordinance amending amusement licensing): Removed five-year organizational requirement for raffles, increased fee from $5 to $25, allowed electronic submission without notarization, and updated language from "coin-operated" to "any means of payment." Passed.
  • Item 49 (Ordinance amending alcohol regulation): Removed notary requirement, added temporary use permit for Class D licenses, and removed 60% food/beverage revenue and 10% video gaming space restrictions as the state preempted county oversight. Passed.
  • Item 51 (Joint resolution for homeless crisis response capacity grant): Accepted $96,200 from Illinois Department of Human Services to improve real-time data for homeless services. Passed by roll call (all ayes).
  • Item 52 (Deferred prosecution grant): Accepted $72,738 from Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority to enhance the State's Attorney's deferred prosecution program. Passed by roll call.
  • Item 53 (Juvenile detention officer positions): Authorized four new juvenile detention officer positions at the Hulse Detention Center due to increased population from other facility closures. Estimated cost $44,692 for remainder of FY2026. Passed.
  • Item 54 (Bonner Road improvements): Approved $3,267,871 engineering contract with Alfred Benesch & Co. for improvements including a potential non-motorized connector near Lakewood Forest Preserve, funded by county motor fuel tax. Passed by roll call.
  • Item 55 (Saunders Road sewer project): Approved $7,936,226 contract with Boulder Contractors Inc. for lift station and gravity sewer replacement. Passed.
  • Item 56 (Manitou Creek Fish Lake Drain Watershed Based Plan): Adopted as amendment to comprehensive stormwater management plan. Passed.
  • Item 58 (Public Wi-Fi project with North Chicago): Approved intergovernmental agreement for Wi-Fi service through December 2026 in downtown North Chicago. Passed.
  • Items 59 & 60 (Elected official compensation policy and salary resolutions): Item 59 amended the compensation policy to provide a mid-term salary increase (additional 2-3%) for countywide elected officials (Clerk, Treasurer, etc.) during the third year of their four-year term. Item 60 set the salaries for the upcoming term reflecting this change. After extensive debate, Item 59 passed 13-5 (Member Hart, Maine, Peterson, Schlick, Velitzich voting no). Item 60 then passed by the same roll call.
  • Item 61 (Appointment of Brett Soloway): Appointed as trustee of the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District Board. Passed with Member Hunter abstaining.

Key Outcomes

  • All consent agenda items (6-47) approved with 18 ayes, recusals, and abstentions noted.
  • Items 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 61 all passed without roll call or with unanimous voice votes.
  • Item 59 (compensation policy amendment) passed 13-5. Item 60 (salary resolution) passed by the same vote.
  • The board adjourned at an unspecified time, with the next regular meeting scheduled for June 9, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you. Good morning. Today is Tuesday, May 12, 2026, and I call the Lake County Board meeting order at 9 o'clock. This meeting is being recorded and live streamed on our website, Comcast Channels 18 or 30 and 18TU 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. Her county board rules in 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've been notified in advance by Member Hewitt that she requests to participate electronically for medical reasons. A physical quorum is present, and if there's no discussion, I'll ask county staff to note in the minutes that Member Hewitt is present and eligible to vote on matters before the county board today. And as a reminder to Member Hewitt, uh please ensure your camera is on at all times. Thank you. Before we get into the uh bulk of our meeting, is there anyone members would like for us to remember today during a moment of silence, please? Thank you, Member Schlick. Thank you, Chair. I asked that you all join me in remembering Joe Altman of the Village of Conda. Joe passed away on April 22nd, he'd had a battle with a number of diseases, and he fought hard and valently over the time. Joe was a very big pillar of the community of Wakanda, serving on the Park District Board and the Police and Fire Commissioner for over 20 years. He also was a prominent businessman in the area in his loss, he'll be greatly missed. So thank you. Thank you. Anyone else? You join me in a moment of silence, please. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. May I have a roll call, please, Clerk Vega? Member Altonburg. Here. Member Complex here. Member Casbin. Here. Member Clark. Here. Member Cuttingham. Member Danforth. Member Frank? Here. Member Hart. Here. Member Hewitt. Here. Member Hunter. Here. Member Kanishnick. Here. Member Kyle. Member Maine. Present. Member Perak. Here. Member Peterson. Prison.

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