Transportation Woes in the County

The second failure of the Lake County Traffic Referendum (No's -53% Yes's 47%) was disappointing to say the least. The proposal would have allowed the county to bond for $100 million + dollars for highway improvement. Among the projects lost based on the failure was the widening of 60 from Diamond Lake up to and past Round Lake.

Looking at a few of the Round Lake Precincts (Round Lake's 10 precincts favored the referendum roughly 68% to 32%) we can see the broad support out here in western lake county for traffic improvements. But unfortunately the further east you go in the county the less the support becomes, since that's where all the counties traffic dollars have been spent over the years and of course that area has the tri state running through it as well.

The sad fact is that because half of the county board members are up for election in the next electoral cycle we will not see the traffic referendum on the ballot again in the foreseeable future. The board members do not want to have their names appear on the ballot with a tax increase for something that is desperately needed.

Todays' Daily Herald has an article on the traffic issue here in Lake County that I strongly suggest you go read. It gives a little of the background on the issue and what some elected officials (me and others) and others are doing this summer. Hopefully we can finally get moving in the right direction!