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Check out our NEW Facebook Page
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Submit community events for our Events Calendar!
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Follow Commissioner Goslin on Twitter to find out what he's been reading in the news and for live updates during County and Forest Preserve Board Meetings.
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Please Note: My e-mail address has changed. To ensure delivery to your inbox, please add commissioner.goslin@cookcountyil.gov to your address book.
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Senior Citizen Homeowner Exemption Rule
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At this week's County Board Meeting, I joined my fellow Commissioners in urging the Illinois General Assembly to remove the unnecessary provision that requires seniors in Cook County to reapply for the Senior Citizen Homeowner Exemption every year.
More than 284,000 senior citizens in Cook County benefit from the Senior Citizen Homeowner's Exemption each year. The Cook County Assessor's Office stopped requiring seniors 65 years or older to apply annually for the Exemption in 2007 to make the process easier for seniors to receive the Exemption and save additional processing and mailing costs. In order to ensure the it is not applied improperly, the Assessor re-verifies the exemption whenever a deed transfer occurs on a qualifying property.
Legislation recently passed by the Illinois General Assembly now requires seniors in Cook County to reapply every year for the Exemption, creating an unnecessary obstacle for them. Every time a major change in an exemption application process occurs, it results in confusion and missed property tax savings, especially for those exemptions specifically targeted for the senior citizen population.
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FPD Bicycle Trail Extensions
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The District has found possible funding through the IDOT Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program for three potential bicycle trail extensions in the Forest Preserve District. The FPD Board authorized the District to pursue grants for the following projects:
- The North Branch Bicycle Trail from the Chicago Botanic Garden to the Green Bay Trail.The project would consist of constructing approximately 1 mile of paved bicycle trail along Lake-Cook Road in partnership with the Chicago Botanic Garden. The District is responsible for 20% of the cost of the trail lying in the Turnbull Woods forest preserve, estimated to be $100,000.
- The Poplar Creek Bicycle Trail from Route 59 and Shoe Factory Road to west of the CN railroad. The project would consist of constructing 0.65 miles of paved bicycle trail in partnership with Hoffman Estates and the Hoffman Estates Park District. The Village of Hoffman Estates plans to connect the FPD trail west to the Fox River Trail and also north through the Sears complex. The District is responsible for 20% of the cost of the trail lying in the forest preserve, estimated to be $50,000.
- Burnham Greenway Bicycle Trail from the Green Lake Family Aquatic Center to the Sand Ridge Nature Center. The project would consist of constructing 1.3 miles of paved bicycle trail along 159th Street from Green Lake to Paxton Avenue then north to the Sand Ridge Nature Center. The estimated cost for the project is $740,000. This project would be financed on a cost-share basis with the District responsible for 20% of the cost of the project, estimated to be $148,000.
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FPD License Fees
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In order to bring the Forest Preserve District licensing fees charged to utility and other companies in line with the fees charged by other such entities, I sponsored an amendment to increase the application fee and institute a minimum license fee and Youth Education Program fee.
Currently, the District charges less than its counterparts for granting licenses to use FPD land for utilities and other public service. Increasing these fees will deter requests for the use of District land that are inconsistent with the FPD Mission, except in cases where there is no feasible alternative.
The Youth Education fee will help support youth education programs, including the Mighty Acorn Program, the High School Volunteer Program and the newly created Urban Forester Program.
This amendment was referred to the FPD Finance Committee.
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National Public Lands Day
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The Forest Preserve District of Cook County has acquired and preserved over 67,000 acres of open land, a valuable component of America's system of public lands and an important natural and cultural resource for environmental learning, appreciation and recreation. In recognition of this, I have joined my fellow Forest Preserve Commissioners in sponsoring a resolution Proclaiming September 25, 2010 National Public Lands Day in Cook County.
National Public Lands Day has become an annual event that encourages local participation on public lands as well as promotes stewardship and awareness among private citizens. The 2010 National Public Lands Day will include some 80,000 volunteers at more than 600 sites across the country and with over 20 work sites scheduled in Illinois.
Visit the Forest Preserve District volunteer site to find a work day in your area!
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In the District
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- Approved application for variation to increase height of entry piers in front yard from 3 feet to 6 feet for four entry piers in the R-3 Single Family Residence District. The subject property consists of approximately 0.93 of an acre, located on the north side of Indian Hill Road, approximately 1,130 feet west of Ridge Road in New Trier Township
- Approved completion of construction resolution for Walters Avenue, Waukegan Road to Lee Road; and Lee Road, Walters Avenue to Dundee Road in the Village of Northbrook. Final cost: $3,078,148.12
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Let's
have a conversation! As always, feel free to
reply to this newsletter, send me an email or give me a call about any
Cook County issue.
Sincerely,
Gregg Goslin, Commissioner
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