Lake County Working for You

Your Trust in Our Government

Lake County Board Members are humbled by the trust placed in them by taxpayers to be effective stewards of their resources, and are committed to ensuring practices are in place to retain that trust. The board has taken the following actions to strengthen its practices to ensure honest, ethical and transparent government:

Ongoing: Lake County Ethics and Conduct Code

The Lake County board has adopted a robust ethics code, that includes substantial penalties for violations, and grants authority to the State’s Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute certain provisions of the code. In 2019, the board added sections related to County Board member conduct, to ensure that all county business is conducted in a manner that reflects the character and values of the people of Lake County and the expectations of external parties with whom the county interact. Read the code

October 2020: Census Concludes

By the time the U.S. Census counting ended in Oct. 2020, nearly all Lake County households had been counted, either through self-response or through an in-person visit by a census worker. The Lake County Board had established a Complete Count Committee to help spread the word about the importance of the census. Learn more

August 2019: New Law Providing Ability to Remove County Board Chair

The State of Illinois passed legislation that allows County Board to remove the County Board Chair. The law applies to the Lake County Board since it chooses a Chair from its members. Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart advocated for this authority as a basic tenet of good government. Learn more

February 2019: Lake County Begins Filming All Standing Committee Meetings for the First Time

In the interests of transparency, all County committee meetings are taped from start to finish and made available online. At the committee level, board members spend a significant amount of time discussing and evaluating significant financial and policy matters before these items are sent to the full board for final approval. Anyone can now see all the work that goes on at the committee level. Watch board and committee meetings

December 2018: Elimination of Board Member Procurement Cards

Board members are no longer issued p-cards, credit cards on which they could charge County-related expenses. The Lake County Board's Rule Committee also approved several measures related to Board spending, including travel, technology and mailings. Learn more