Propellerhead

A week is a long time in politics. Which means it's been about one political week since your LakeCountyEye last posted a Caption Contest!

The H/T for this week's Caption Contest! goes to the News-Sun for this headshot portrait of Robert Dold -- who was at the Great Lakes Naval Station last week for a photo op:

Caption Contest!

Dold touts military spending bills in visit to Naval Station Great Lakes

Contestants are challenged to put on their thinking caps and come up with an uproarious caption for this picture of Congressman Robert Dold. The winning entry will be the best caption that is likely to be over the head of Dold, Lake County's rotating Congressman.

The Caption Contest! is not restricted to black hats and l33ts -- anyone is welcome to participate, even n00bs and propellerheads. Note to Ops: this is your chance to claim the political props you deserve, on top of those you already have.

One lucky winner will receive an army-surplus oversize-propeller drone.

The secret to success, as always, is low overhead. The judge's decision is final.

Video Shoot

It may not cover the cost of a wedding photographer, but $60,000 is still a lot to spend for some shaky video footage. The Daily Herald says the Village of Round Lake Park ...

authorized Police Chief George Filenko to spend up to $60,000 for a video system for seven front-line squad cars and body cameras for 13 officers. "This wasn't knee jerk and there is no rush to this," Filenko said.
Round Lake Park authorizes body cams for police

With that cue to cut to the chase, your LakeCountyEye contacted Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, Dual Professor of Criminology and Cinematography at the College of Lake County.

"Ya, 60-grand is a lot of cheddar." snorted Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "The Village of Zion only needed $55,000 to break their contract with the Lake County Fielders."

Your LakeCountyEye was surprised too see any Lake County village with money to spend on police cameras. These small municipalities are expecting to see their budgets slashed -- especially if Governor Rauner makes good on a promise to raid the Local Government Distributive Fund.

"A major metropolitan area can easily absorb that sort of expenditure." observed Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi.

But doesn't the population of Round Lake Park hover around 7500?

"It's not the population but the median income that matters to a municipal taxing body." observed Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi.

But aren't most of the homes in Round Lake Park on 4 wheels and exempt from property taxes?

Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi furrowed his brows. "Hmmm. Is that why they call themselves Round Lake Park?"

You're not really a Professor at the College of Lake County are you?

"Ever since they transferred me from the College of DuPage." continued Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "Maybe the village of Round Lake Park hopes to monetize the expense by streaming their police video to a YouTube Channel. FailBlog, I understand, makes a ton of money."

Your LakeCountyEye heard enough. Did Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi have any parting advice?

"Tell your operatives in Round Lake Park to watch their speedometers. Also don't believe anyone who says the paint on older model cars do not reflect radar beams."

Round Lake Park Appointee Arrested

In March, I reported that law enforcement seized the computer of a Round Lake Park Village appointee, and was under investigation.

Computer Taken for Evidence in Round Lake Area

Since then, the Round Lake Area News has reported that Randall Wagner was arrested for possession of child pornography.

After a lengthy investigation, Randall L. Wagner was taken into custody on April 13. 2015, and charged with three counts of child pornography and possession (CHILD PORN/POSSESS FILM/PHOTOS). Wagner is the spouse of Round Lake Park Trustee Donna Wagner and is listed on the Round Lake Park village website as a Mayoral Appointment to the Plan Commission & Zoning Board of Appeals.
RLP Trustee’s Spouse Arrested on Child Porn Charges

Randall Wagner is no longer listed on the Round Lake Park website of Mayoral Appointments. I do not know if Wagner has resigned from his appointment.

As far as I can tell, this arrest has not been reported anywhere else in the local media.

Every Jack Has His Cal

Cal Skinner, the tireless tax-fighter who writes the McHenry County Blog, is undoubtedly a Frankophobe. One can tell by the mind-set of his posts. This week he skewered the Capitol Fax Blog for saying nice things about State Rep. Jack Franks:

Rich Miller, the man who writes Capitol Fax is undoubtedly a Democrat. One can tell by the slant on his posts. Today, he pats State Rep. Jack Franks on the back for his anti-tax voting record.
Jack Franks Gets Another Pat on the Back from Capitol Fax

Not to be outdone, your LakeCountyEye has banished the frankfurter from this blog. This staple of the backyard barbecue shall, henceforth, be known here as the Freedomfurter.

Enjoy the holiday & toss one on the grill for your LakeCountyEye.

A Leg Up

May is World Foot Health Awareness Month. Perhaps not uncoincidentally, two people recently shot themselves in the foot while at McHenry County gun ranges:

My Foot!

As reported on this blog, it is uncommon (to say the least) when the men and women of McHenry County take up the burden to shoot themselves in the foot -- simply to exercise their freedoms guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment.

Now, it goes without saying that the self-inflicted gunshot wound, even in pursuit of the noblest of goals, is not all guns and roses. Especially so, if one refused to sign up for ObamaCare in protest against big government bureaucratic programs. Be that as it may, every cloud has a silver bullet. Ten to be exact, when that cloud happens to issue from the barrel of a smoking gun:

Shot Yourself in the Foot? Ten Benefits

It's evident you put your pants on one leg at a time. Reduce by 50% your sock bill. Never alone at the three legged races. You da Man on Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day. There's no one at the ass-kicking contest busier than you. People only need a 9-foot pole to touch you. Half the worries while strolling through a LCFPD Dog Park. No one will ever accuse you of being a knee-jerk liberal. An effective remedy for restless leg syndrome. Costs an arm and a leg? Not a problem.

Look for your LakeCountyEye on foot near you.

My Foot!

For those who believe in the rule of threes, you are advised to discharge your weapons in Lake County. The Northwest Herald reports that two people have shot themselves in the foot while at McHenry County gun ranges:

A 56-year-old man was flown to a nearby hospital after he accidentally shot himself at a McHenry gun range, a fire official said.
Man accidentally shoots himself at McHenry gun range, fire official says

A 55-year-old McHenry woman was taken to an area hospital Monday after accidentally shooting her own leg, police said.
McHenry woman accidentally shoots herself at Crystal Lake gun range

With 2555 applications for concealed carry permits, and counting, epidemiologists are closely monitoring this sudden outbreak of unipedality in McHenry County.

The McHenryCountyBlog reports that emergency medical teams are currently on-site and working to contain the epidemic:

McHenry County Right to Carry Presents Course

Anyone who wishes to help can contact the McHenry County Right to Carry Association:

McHenry County Right to Carry Association is sponsoring a training event with our friends at Spartan Tactical Training Group. This course is not just for firearms instructors but for anyone that wishes to add real emergency medical skills to your mental tool kit. This class course is taught to law enforcement agency personnel around the country. Class space is limited so sign up early at the link below. Also military grade IFAK (individual first aid kits) will be available for purchase and information for this is on the link.
Emergency Medical Response for Firearms Instructors

One spokesperson issued a statement: "Under the Second Amendment, my right to shoot myself in the foot -- and at the time and place of my choosing -- shall not be infringed. Anyone who says otherwise doesn't have a leg to stand on!"

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Hop along, now.

Take a Break!

"Bulldozer"Aaron Lawlor, the Chair of the Lake County Board, will be in Grant Township later this month. Lawlor, the Daily Herald says, will talk about the Route 53 Extension ...

Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor will be the featured speaker when the Grant Township Republican Club meets Thursday, May 28, to discuss the Route 53 extension.
Lawlor to address Grant Township Republicans

The topic of Lawlor's address will be:

Unregulated Engine Breaking on the Route 53 Extension:
Environmental Catastrophe or Economic Necessity?

It should be noted that the topic of Chairman Lawlor's address will NOT be:

No-Wake Restrictions on the Route 53 Extension:
Gentleman's Agreement or IDNR Mandate?

Your LakeCountyEye regrets the mistake.

The Plot Thickens in Grant Twp, Part 2

We received another open letter to the Grant Township Assessor. It is reproduced, unedited, below. The attachment referred to by the doc is the PDF that was posted here yesterday.

May 13 2015 letter to EOLC and GTA Office and States Attorney

Until new information is brought to the attention of this blog, I've said about all I can say, here.

The Plot Thickens in Grant Township

Yesterday I reported what I interpreted to be a claim made by the Grant Township Assessor: That the Assessor does not take into consideration lake restrictions when valuing lake-front properties.

It now appears that my judgement was wrong. I have received a document, signed by the Assessor, regarding four lakes in Grant Township:

Grant Township Assessor Chart of Lakes

This document appears to evaluate the lakes based on a number of criteria, including "Leads to Chain" and "Restrictions on Lake". By all appearances, this document is used for the purposes of evaluating comparable properties on or near these lakes.

If I was wrong in my conclusion that lake restrictions are not factored in how homes get assessed in Lake County, then my original questions remain: What authority governs and controls how our inland lakes are restricted? What guidelines must our Assessors follow when evaluating our homes -- in particular lake-front properties?

I am getting the feeling that these are things that just get made up as we go along.

The Grant Township Assessor Replies

The Grant Township Assessor e-mailed a reply to the property owner's letter that I posted here yesterday:

Mr. Rowden,

Land values have not changed on Wooster Lake and your overall value was reduced in 2014. I noticed on your tax bill mailed last week that your property taxes went DOWN approximately $1,000. By law, properties are valued based on sales in the previous 3 years of similar properties in the same neighborhood and we will continue to value your property in this manner. I hope you and your neighbors on Wooster Lake are able to reach an agreement on how Wooster Lake should be used but my understanding of the current use is that some owners treat the lake as non-motorized while others jet-ski and boat as they please. My office does not determine how lakes are used, only what the property on the lakes are worth.

I've already addressed the Tanneron Bay accusations. You can not compare your 3500 sq.ft. home on over 2 acres built in 2006 to a condo or townhouse.

Jeri Barr, Grant Township Assessor

If not directly, the Grant Assessor seems to have answered some of the questions I asked yesterday. I may understand this incorrectly, but the law requires our homes to be assessed based on how they compare with similar homes in the same area. Of course, the word "similar" is vague and open to interpretation. This I am sure is the basis for most appeals filed against our home assessments.

In the case of Wooster Lake, the question of how the lake is restricted seems to be irrelevant to this Assessor's purposes. What matters is that homes are assessed against similar homes. Of course, "similar" is in the eye of the beholder. There still seems to be a lot of arbitrariness baked into the whole system.

Another Open Letter to the Grant Township Assessor

We received another open letter to the Grant Township Assessor:

Assessor Barr,
Almost 12 years ago in July 2003 I bought 3 Wooster Lake properties in the Village of Fox Lake.
05-23-100-026
05-23-100-027
05-23-100-034

When I bought, I bought into lake restrictions which were since January 2003 recorded in recording 5094179. As you know and can plainly see, the 5094179 recording is an official recording at the Lake County Recorder of Deeds Office, a Declaration that Cambridge at Holiday Park HOA not only says I am legally bound to but one which the HOA relied on in recent law suits they filed against me. The judge unfortunately did not provide a Declaratory Judgment towards 5094179 or its restrictions in either of these cases. To this day the HOA contends I am legally bound to this Declaration, sending me a bill as recently as February 2015.

**** See pages 33-34, 46 of 5094179 recorded at Lake County Recorder of Deeds Office listing and claiming my above PINs are part of the Cambridge development and also as part of the Wooster Lake Conservation & Control Association. See pages 5, 7-9, 35-47 about the lake properties' restrictions.****

After buying my lake properties I had growing concerns about this recording that are still not fixed today and that is the problem. When States Attorney Nerheim was elected, I met with him in Waukegan in 2013. Nerheim said his Office and every other Office were by law not capable of nullifying anything in 5094179 because it is an official recording active with the Lake County Recorder of Deeds Office. Nerheim said "only a judge with a Declaratory Judgment" could nullify the recording. Now 2 years later I see your Office is off acting as if it is nullifying these recorded restrictions and is supposedly changing the lake to not restricted after all these years being restricted, per the recordings and per the Assessor's Office.

I want you to immediately provide me with a copy of the Declaratory Judgment that issues a judge's opinion of the recording 5094179, a Declaratory Judgment that supposedly gives you the power to have changed my lake properties.

Eye On Lake County,
Can you post my response to Assessor Barr?

Don Rowden

As far as I can tell, this owner has properties on Wooster Lake. At issue is whether or not Wooster Lake is bound to boating restrictions. The homeowner is charging the Grant Township Assessor with valuing his properties against comparable homes on unrestricted lakes. Apparently these homes are assessed at higher values, when compared to homes on restricted lakes.

Wooster Lake had for many years been used as a restricted lake. Furthermore, there is a quasi-legal document filed by a Wooster Lake home-owner's-association with the Recorder of Deeds that purports to establish this.

Since, from a legal perspective, Wooster seems to be a restricted lake, the homeowner objects to the Grant Township Assessor valuing his property against other (higher valued) properties on unrestricted lakes. And he wants the Grant Township Assessor to produce a legal authority as a justification.

I'm going to admit that I understand very little about the guidelines that control how our homes get assessed. And I understand even less about how and under whose authority our inland lakes become restricted. But Wooster Lake just seems to demonstrate to me that there is a lot of arbitrariness baked into both processes.

Heater Points

Note to supporters of the Bruce Rauner Turnaround Agenda: your time has come, please turn around.

Haha, Governor Rauner will get his opportunity to make good on a campaign promise to turn the State of Illinois around. The Illinois Legislature plans to call a vote on the Turnaround Agenda in six days, on May 14.

While six days is the same amount of time needed to turn around an aircraft carrier, one Lake County legislator is not as sanguine as the n00b Republican Governor of Illinois. State Representative Ed Sullivan is opposed to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's efforts to fasttrack the Bruce Rauner Turnaround Agenda through the Illinois House. Sullivan told the Sun-Times ...

"Gov. Rauner is trying to negotiate things in totality," Sullivan said. "Speaker Madigan doesn't want any part of it, so he's trying to bring out the heater points. Cause chaos."
Mike Madigan schedules vote on right-to-work, urges Rauner to give details

Easy for spoilsport Sullivan to say, who occupies a safe legislative district. But any Operative who has read this tough-talk will most certainly have one question for Rep Sullivan:

Heater Points? What is a heater point?

Note to Ops: you have probably been challenged, since back in the day, to bring out all sorts of different things. But if you are like your LakeCountyEye, it's never been to bring out the heater points.

Make no mistake about it, the heater point is positioned to become the State's next hot-button issue. Therefore, your LakeCountyEye has agreed to crowdsource the question over to you. The first Operative to plausibly explain what a heater point is, gets a 60 day free trial subscription to this blog. And the gratitude of a Governor for having rescued his Turnaround Agenda.

This, of course, means you must be able to use heater points in an sentence. Some examples:

• Whoa, have you ever had anyone look at those heater points?
  
  
• Gabriel Heater points out that when the rate of return on capital exceeds the rate of growth of output and income, as it did in the nineteenth century and seems quite likely to do again in the twenty-first, capitalism automatically generates arbitrary and unsustainable inequalities that radically undermine the meritocratic values on which democratic societies are based.
  
  
• My heater points due North.

Send your entries, with a SASE, to LakeCountyEye@gmail.com. Do not delay, the Bruce Rauner Turnaround Agenda is riding on your answer.

The Fast and the Spurious

Those who commute throughout the Lake County highway system go by a simple motto: Live fast, die young, leave a good looking corpse.

Haha, will the maximum speed limit of the Route 53 Extension top out at 45mph? One retired public servant thinks not. Former Illinois Tollway board member Bill Morris told the Chicago Tribune that ...

the 45-mph speed limit is "unrealistic" and motorists will ignore it. "Anyone who believes traffic will go 45 mph," Morris said, "is smoking too much medical marijuana."
Rauner faces new challenge with proposal for new Lake County tollway

The Tribune declined to say whether or not the anchor store at the Route 53 Extension Tollway Oasis will be a Medical Marijuana clinic. Ops are advised not to hold their breaths.

But while the Route 53 Extension has seen its share of ups and downs, one Lake County attraction owes its very success to its ups and downs. The Goliath rollercoaster at Great America is, according to the Sun-Times, setting new records ...

On Saturday, the 71.89 mph figure — or 115.7 kilometers per hour — was displayed on one of three certificates issued by Guinness confirming Goliath's status as the fastest, tallest (180 feet) and steepest (85.13 degree) "roller coaster made from wood" in the industry.
Six Flags Great America's Goliath earns 3 Guinness World Record titles

Informed sources say the Route 53 Blue-Ribbon Advisory Council is now studying options to reroute their highway through the Six Flags Great America amusement park in Gurnee -- where the speed limits exceed 70mph.

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Do you know how fast you were going?

Size Matters

Would Lake County benefit from a good shrink? Jack Franks thinks so. The State Representative thinks McHenry County would benefit as well.

Franks is the sponsor of a bill that would enable Lake & McHenry County leaders to shrink the size of their fiefdoms by eliminating some specific units of government.

Originally intended for McHenry County, the bill was expanded to encompass Lake County. As told by the Northwest Herald ...

several Lake County politicians, who have expressed interest in pursuing consolidation measures, asked Franks to include Lake County as well, County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor said. "We did it so we could have the same authority as DuPage [County] and see where the opportunities might exist for consolidation," Lawlor said.
Jack Franks trying to remove government consolidation bill sponsor

Not unsurprisingly, no one is saying just exactly what is on the consolidation chopping block, or how close to the scalp the intended haircut will be. All they are saying is that some high-profile Lake County institutions are in the cross-hairs. And by some they mean ten:

10 Conspicuous Lake County Jurisdictions Targeted for Elimination
	Before Consolidation ...	After Consolidation ...
1.	The Route 53 Extension	The Route 53 Distension
2.	Village of Green Oaks	Village of Green Oak
3.	Lake County's Dirty Jobs	Lake County's Minimum Wage Jobs
4.	County Clerk Division of Elections	The Lake County Election Commission
6.	Winchester House	A GTCR Golder Rauner Nursing Home
7.	The Waukegan Court Tower	The Waukegan Court Bungalow
8.	Fox Waterway Agency	Blarney Island Waterway Agency
5.	Wooster Lake	Jeeves Lake
9.	www.lakecountyeye.com	www.commonsense10th.com
10.	$20,000,000 Wrongful Conviction Settlements	$20 Wrongful Conviction Settlements

Look for your LakeCountyEye maintaining a low profile near you.

Waste Not Want Not

The Zion nuclear power plant is in the news. At issue is whether no-wake restrictions should be mandated inside the plant's cooling towers.

Haha, j/k. The actual story concerns nuclear waste. According to the News-Sun ...

A bill working its way through the Illinois General Assembly this spring would allow Zion to impose impact fees for the storage of spent fuel at the lakefront nuclear plant that shut down in 1998 and continues to undergo decommissioning.
Lake County senators push bill to collect nuclear impact fees

Exelon, who owns the plant, unsurprisingly opposes the bill:

In a statement opposing the proposed legislation, Exelon officials said any "new fee or tax on used nuclear fuel or used fuel installations in Illinois (would) place further financial burdens on Illinois nuclear plants."
Lake County senators push bill to collect nuclear impact fees

The bill passed the Illinois Senate 36-20, despite votes against the measure from Lake County Senators Dan Duffy and Pam Althoff.

Kudos need to go to Senators Duffy & Althoff for their gutsy votes. Why should Exelon Corporation be expected to clean up their own the City of Zion's mess?

Besides, if your LakeCountyEye reads the News-Sun correctly, Lake County already has the situation under control:

SWALCO offers bailout for chemical gunk hoarders

The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) will be accepting household chemical waste on May 16, at the Metra Station in Vernon Hills, no questions asked:

HOUSEHOLD CHEMICAL WASTE COLLECTION EVENT

Note to all the government freeloaders in Zion: Start filling those 55 gallon drums pronto, and get over to Vernon Hills on May 16. The sooner that radioactive waste is in SWALCO's hands, the sooner Zion's problem becomes Vernon Hills's problem!

Eye of the Beholder: Working with High-Risk Adolescents

Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy

Dr. Eugene Griffin, a clinical psychologist and attorney, will discuss various approaches governments and institutions use to treat abused children and whether they adequately address the needs of the children. Griffin, who previously worked at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, is the Director of Research at the ChildTrauma Academy. Dr. Griffin will be introduced by Kathy Ryg, who recently retired as President of Voices for Illinois Children.

• Sunday
  May 3, 2015
  2:00 pm
• The Stevenson Center on Democracy
  25200 N St Mary's Rd
  Mettawa (Libertyville), IL 60048
  773- 281-0378
• Admission: $15
  No Charge for Students

A Response to the Grant Township Assessor

Yesterday I posted some documents provided by the Grant Township Assessor. The documents are a response to criticisms made by a Grant Township homeowner, that were posted on this blog earlier this week.

I received a response today from the same homeowner, which is embedded here ...

April 26 2015 letter to EOLC

At issue is how homes on Wooster Lake should be assessed, and specifically, whether or not the lake is subject to no-wake restrictions. Properties on no-wake lakes are typically assessed at lower values than comparable homes on lakes without restrictions.

The Grant Township Assessor currently regards Wooster Lake as unrestricted, and gives properties there higher assessed values than comparable properties on other lakes. Prior to 2014, Wooster Lake properties were valued the opposite way -- as restricted.

The Grant Township Assessor cites a 2014 court ruling (in favor of the aforementioned homeowner) as the reason for the change in policy. Because of this court ruling Wooster Lake is now assessed as an unrestricted lake:

DENZ VS WOOSTER LAKE CONSERVATION
JUDGEMENT ORDER

Readers may notice that the court ruling in question is actually a civil judgement. The court awarded the homeowner some $4000 in damages over a Wooster Lake related dispute.

I am not certified to assess property nor am I an attorney. But it seems to me very questionable that a stated policy of a Township Assessor's Office could be based on the outcome of a civil lawsuit.

This is the question that the aforementioned homeowner raises. Wooster Lake has traditionally been appraised as being restricted. The Grant Township Assessor recently changed that policy, and now appraises Wooster Lake as having no restrictions. Does the Grant Township Assessor have a court ruling to justify this change in policy? Or is the change in policy based solely on the outcome of a civil lawsuit?

A Letter from the Grant Township Assessor

Earlier this week, my colleague Barney Baxter and I posted stories about the Grant Township Assessor. At issue were apparently conflicting statements made by the Assessor's Office regarding wake restrictions on Wooster Lake.

Yesterday I received an e-mail from the Grant Township Assessor in response to the stories:

Response to Blogs Regarding Grant Township Assessor

I pulled out some relevant passages:

As a reader of your blog, I was surprised to find myself and my office as topics on your site and wanted to correct some of the "factual errors" you've shared with your readers.

In June 2014, the property owner made us aware that he had won in court and sent us documentation confirming that Wooster Lake is not restricted (see documents provided). In September 2014 the property owner appealed his assessment with an appraisal dated 9/23/2014 which claimed restricted water use when in fact the property owner has been disputing this and won his court case clarifying the use of the lake as unrestricted prior to having the appraisal done.

The time frame and court decision are the factor that lead to the two different responses by my office NOT any other implied reason.

The second letter did not "deny the homeowner's tax appeal" it was in response to the appeal filed with the Board of Review in Waukegan disputing the appraisal submitted by the property owner and pointing out differences in the comps that were not adjusted for.

The "documents provided" can be seen by clicking this PDF link:

WOOSTER LAKE.pdf

As I understand the Grant Township Assessor, the two documents in question were produced during different time periods. The first document was written during a time when it was generally accepted that Wooster Lake was governed by no-wake restrictions. The second document, on the other hand, was written after a Court had ruled that Wooster Lake is not subject to no-wake restrictions. This alone accounts for the discrepancy.

If anything I have written, or that has appeared on this blog, is misleading or factually incorrect, I regret the error.

A final note about comments:

Anyone is welcome to post comments here. The standard disclaimers apply. Comments posted here do not necessarily represent the opinions of this blog. The comment section is largely unmoderated. But comments that do not meet a certain threshold of propriety will be removed.

Taken for Granted?

Have you heard the one about the Township Assessor who was thrown out of office? The voters caught him working both sides of the street.

Haha, as readers of this blog are aware ...

Second Opinions from Grant Township

the Grant Township Assessor's Office is sending mixed signals. One document sent to a homeowner suggests that his Wooster Lake property is assessed subject to No-Wake restrictions. While another document, given to the same homeowner, suggests the property is appraised as NOT being subject to No-Wake restrictions.

This same homeowner, understandably confused, asked Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim for a legal opinion:

Whether there are no wake restrictions on Wooster lake is a legal issue for a judge to decide. As for the representations of the Grant Township Assessor that may have been made in connection with a property assessment at a property tax hearing, those representations do nothing to alter my position. Office of the State's Attorney, Lake County, Illinois

One source close to the State's Attorney Office told your LakeCountyEye (on condition of anonymity): "Move along. There is nothing else to see here."

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Move along. There is nothing else to see here.

Second Opinions from Grant Township

The only thing I like about my property tax is appealing my assessment and winning. For that reason, I am grateful that I do not live in Grant Township.

A property tax appeal is mostly a matter of finding homes comparable to yours which are taxed less. These COMPS may be accepted or rejected by your Assessor on a number of grounds. For example, are all of the homes equivalent lakefront properties? Whether or not there are no-wake restrictions on your lake can make a difference in value.

Bearing that in mind, I thank heavens I don't live on Wooster Lake, where you can't win a tax appeal no matter what.

We've obtained a copy of a letter from the Grant Township Assessor's Office, where it is stated that they evaluate Wooster Lake as subject to no-wake restrictions:

Q: The reason(s) your Office officially indicates Wooster Lake's private properties currently have restrictions.

A: Certain homeowner association covenants and the fact that it has been historically no wake. I believe it goes back to when Wooster Lake Park was in full operation many years ago.

We've obtained another letter from the Grant Township Assessor's Office, which denies a homeowner's property tax appeal. The comps cited in this appeal are rejected, in part, because the homeowner lives on Wooster Lake, which according to the Grant Township Assessor's Office is NOT subject to no-wake restrictions:

#8 There are no restrictions on Wooster Lake.

Forgive me if I'm scratching my head here. But I don't have property in Grant Township, for which I am grateful.