Senior tax deferral, Lake County PASSAGE, Winter activities, and More
Dear Neighbor,
I hope this finds you, family and neighbors well. Winter is undeniably bellowing his frosty opera, although I hope you can get out to enjoy hawks, owls and the occasional bald eagle that flies through our area.
Lake County recently joined our friends at the Lake County Municipal League to hold two legislative meetings with our county’s General Assembly delegation. Normally it’s a hot breakfast with bacon and eggs, but like so many things in our pandemic-altered times, we did a virtual meeting to be on the safe side.
This is our annual legislative get-together to pitch our friends in Springfield on the bills we'd like to see passed that will help this district and Lake County. Since the legislative session is shorter this year and will end April 18 – instead of May 30 -- we had a tight agenda.
One of the priorities that our mayors and county leadership agree on is the need to boost our collective share of state income tax collections, which had been reduced to 6% in recent years. We’d like to see it bumped back to the original 10% allocation we previously received. This money is critically important because we use those funds to buy things like snow plows and fire engines, hire first responders and pay for daily services. We have some local sponsors for Senate Bill 3010 and House Bill 4169, which would partially restore these “LGDF” funds to 8%, which we are certainly appreciative of, but this will still be an uphill battle.
The bottom line is the more money we receive from Springfield (and Washington), the less we may ask of you through property taxes. At the county, we’ve run a tight ship by keeping basic spending down -- maintaining county government tax rates the last two of three years -- but we’re still waging battles against inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Chair of the County’s Legislative Committee, I’m always asking Springfield and Washington to help pay their fair share. It’s a constant challenge. I was honored to be a part of these meetings. Many thanks to Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, Mayor Marturano of Lindenhurst and everyone who participated and made this event a success. Our Springfield delegation has already stepped up to sponsor and support a number of our priorities.
On the environmental front, we’re also asking Springfield for help on recycling carpets and pharmaceuticals, neither of which should be dumped in our landfills and sewer systems. We’re also asking for a law that would help us save money by combining architectural and construction services. I’ll certainly let you know what happens.
Some brighter news in this dark season: COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates seem to be levelling off. Once again, thanks to everyone in our county from countless biopharma researchers to nurses, doctors and teachers. We know you’re overburdened and need a break. If you know someone who hasn’t gotten a shot and/or booster, please urge them to do so. Find a COVID-19 vaccine location near you. Nearly every pharmacy provides them. We all hope and pray this pandemic will be over soon. In the interim, kindness and compassion will keep our community strong.
It’s my honor to represent you. If you’d like me to speak before your community, club or social group, I’d be happy to do so. Let me know how I can better serve you.
Be well.
John Wasik
