Lake County Gazette

The Lake County Board has approved a $659 million Fiscal Year 2025 budget during its meeting on November 12. The operating funds, which support most government services, were balanced at $386.2 million.

"This unanimously approved budget reflects Lake County’s commitment to delivering vital services to our residents," said Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, according to a Lake County news release. "It ensures we can meet essential needs in public safety, housing, health, infrastructure, and more while also supporting the dedicated employees who make these services possible every day."

According to the Lake County news release, the budget funds services including transportation and infrastructure, health services, courts, and public safety. Several initiatives added to the budget advance the county's six strategic priorities. It allocates resources to open Lake County's newest building, the Regional Operations and Communications (ROC) facility in 2025.

The board approved a property tax increase of slightly more than 2% to ensure funding for critical infrastructure and new programming. This increase is below the maximum allowed rate of 3.4%. Finance and Administrative Committee Chair Paul Frank said that the budget makes significant investments in the county's people, clean energy infrastructure, public safety, and human services. Frank emphasized that it demonstrates the board's commitment to transparency and budgeting excellence.

The news release indicated that individual tax bills will vary based on property assessments and other local government levies. The Lake County portion of the average homeowner's tax bill is expected to increase by a few dollars.

The FY2025 budget is available for viewing at lakecountyil.gov/Budget.