The nuclear crisis in Japan has some Lake County residents interested in the safety of Exelon's ZION nuclear power station. This facility has been closed since 1998.

The Lake County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) explains that there are local, state, and federal plans and protocols in place to protect the safety of people living and working near the plant. While any immediate response to a serious incident at the Zion nuclear station would begin with Exelon and local agencies, technical experts with state and federal agencies would quickly assume more leadership responsibility based on the situation, while local agencies would continue to provide support. The Zion nuclear station has not been operating since 1998, and the spent fuel at the facility is maintained on site in a heavily reinforced below-grade storage pool. This storage pool is monitored very closely, both locally by Exelon personnel in the Zion station control room and remotely by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency's Division of Nuclear Safety, which has around-the-clock staffing in the state's central DNS monitoring room at the State Emergency Operations Center. Exelon has contingency and emergency plans in place that address the spent-fuel storage, and there are multiple redundancies that help protect it. The fuel has been out of the reactors at Zion for more than a decade, during which time it has lost part of its radioactivity. Exelon's overarching all-hazards plans address numerous threats that could impact the Zion Station, including natural disasters such as drought, severe weather (ice storms, tornadoes, excessive heat) and human-caused incidents such as terrorism or operator error. Lake County Emergency Management reviews the Zion station plans with Exelon annually, and participates in its on-site exercises.

Additionally, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) Division of Nuclear Safety has information on the web IEMA WEBSITE about Illinois nuclear powered electric generation facilities and the states preparedness for nuclear emergencies.

Following nearly two years of reviewing wind energy, the Lake County Board conducted a final public hearing and then approved allowing small wind facilities up to 200 feet in unincorporated Lake County. At a previous meeting, the Board voted to prohibit large wind farms. Small wind facilities typically involve one turbine that is used to provide power to on-site facilities, while large wind farms include multiple turbines that produce mass energy for sale.

Lake County's website ranks among the most transparent government websites in America, according to Sunshine Review, a non-profit organization dedicated to government transparency. Lake County is one of 112 winners of the "2011 Sunny Award" for having a perfect transparency score. The  grade is based on a "Transparency Checklist" for websites that have information about budgets, meetings, elected and administrative officials, permits and zoning, audits, contracts, lobbying, public records, and taxes, as well as the ease of use and availability of information. This is the second Sunny Award for Lake County.

In recognition of Sunshine Week (March 13 - 19), a national initiative to promote the importance of open government and freedom of information, Lake County encourages residents to connect with County government at www.lakecountyil.gov and sign for E-news, watch board meetings, access services, and much more! Sunshine Week seeks to empower people to play an active role in their government, and to give them access to information that makes their lives better and their communities stronger.

County residents can take advantage of a prescription drug discount card program.  The free card that is accepted at most pharmacies offers average savings of 20 percent off the retail price of commonly prescribed drugs.  This is intended for people without prescription coverage or on medicines not covered by your plan.  The card may also be used where accepted to fill prescriptions for pets. To print a card, CLICK HERE

A new dental discount card program is now available that will help Lake County residents save money on their dental service expenses. The NACo Dental Discount Card Program, provided by the National Association of Counties (NACo) in partnership with Careington International Corporation, can help Lake County residents save up to 50 percent on their dental care services, and 20 percent on orthodontic services. Individuals or families may opt to pay for a monthly or yearly membership. The cost for a yearly individual membership is $59 and $69 for families. More than 200 providers in Lake County are participating in this program. Discount card holders will receive significant savings from these providers on dental cleanings, x-rays, braces, dentures, crowns, root canals and more. This plan is not insurance.

To sign up for the Dental Discount Card Program, residents can download a registration form at: DENTAL DISCOUNT CARD PROGRAM  A list of participating providers and more information is available.

Word From Our Ela Township Assessor

John Barrington, C.I.A.O                                       1155 East Route 22, Lake Zurich, Illinois 60047

847-438-8370                                                         Fax # 847-438-6880

Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze

Homestead Exemption Outreach Sessions

The Ela Township Assessor's office will hold two public outreach sessions to assist residents in completing the 2011 Senior Citizen Assessment Freeze Application for taxes payable in 2012; as well as assist with other homestead exemptions offered. Residents will work one on one with a staff member to understand and complete the necessary exemption forms.

Qualifications are:

Ø  65 years old or older during the tax year

Ø  Own the property as your principal residence for the last two Jan. 1^st.

Ø  2010 total household income is $55,000 or less

Be Prepared to bring copies of income received such as:

Ø  2010 Federal Income Tax Form

Ø  Social Security Statement

Ø  If the property is owned in Trust, you may need to provide proof of the beneficiary.

Outreach Locations

Tuesday, April 19^th, 11am-2pm                                             Wed May 11^th, 11am-2pm

Ela Township Senior Center                                                    Ela Area Public Library

located in the Foglia YMCA                                                    275 Mohawk Trail

1025 Old McHenry Road                                                        Lake Zurich, Illinois 60047

Lake Zurich, IL 60047

Please be aware that the annual renewal for the Senior exemption only applies in Cook County. The Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze is the only senior exemption that is filed annually in Lake County. The total household income must be $55,000 or less to qualify.