McHenry County Blog

For some time I have been trying to pin down the amount of money that won’t be in the Crystal Lake city budget because of the Village of Lakewood’s deciding to start its own fire department.

This week I received a response to my second Freedom of Information request and it looks like Crystal Lake’s budget will take almost a $500,000 hit.

Lakewood was “assessed” $464,577.67 in 2006.

In addition, $31,973 has been collected so far from health benefit plans for ambulance service We all know how long it can take for such payments to be made, so I figure a bit more trickle in.

The amount would have been more in 2007.

That’s because the formula is based on assessed valuation and assessed valuation goes up each year.

For example, the township multipliers are increasing 4.88% Algonquin Township and 4.83% in Grafton Township. That means everyone’s real estate assessment goes up that much.

But, that ignores new construction.

When new houses and additions are added in, Lakewood’s assessed valuation has been increasing about 17% a year.

So, Crystal Lake is probably losing about $575,000 for 2007.

But, wait. That doesn’t consider the ramp-up in price, Crystal Lake wanted.

“We projected that next year, if they got the increase they wanted, our bill to the city (of Crystal Lake) would have been $768,591,” Lakewood Finance Director Wendy Gregoria told me.

Lakewood, on the other hand, is paying American Emergency Service Corporation $727,852 for the first year, she explained.

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Photo was taken of loading the hose was taken the last Saturday of December, 2006, after Chief Tony Huemann's first briefing of those joining the Lakewood Fire Department.

Below is a Crystal Lake City Hall sunset taken January 7, 2007.

Labels: Crystal Lake, Crystal Lake City Hall, Lakewood Fire Department, Sunset, Wendy Gregoria