Politics & Government

Lake County Voters Pass Seniors Levy By 20-Percent Margin

The 0.5-mill replacement levy will $3.16 million for senior services per year

Lake County electors passed a 0.5-mill replacement levy for seniors services by a vote of 26,491 to 18,385, according to unofficial results.

The new levy is a 0.1-mill increase from the levy that was originally passed in 1992.

"We are very excited about it," said Ellen Cantor, the interim CEO of the Lake County Council on Aging. "The senior community and local leaders came together on this.

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"This levy will make it safer for seniors. It's important. It really is important"

The new 5-year levy will produce $3,159,248 for senior services in Lake County while costing property owners $15.31 annually per $100,000 valuation, according to the Lake County Auditor's Office.

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By comparison, the current levy would produce $2,565,291 and cost property owners $12.25 per $100,000 valuation if renewed. In 2007, the last time the levy passed, it produced $2.9 million per year.

Fifty-three percent of the levy's proceeds are distributed to the Lake County Council on Aging, 42 percent to 10 local senior centers and the remainder goes to the RSVP senior volunteer program, LCCA interim CEO Ellen Cantor said.

Cantor previously said the additional millage was needed to keep funding at about the same level. Without it, funding would drop because of decreased property values -- and, consequently, decreased property taxes -- and the phasing out of .

"It's a good day for Lake County," Cantor concluded. "They did the right thing by voting for it."


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