Transportation is currently the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the US. Electric and hybrid vehicles are better for the environment, and also cost less over their lifetime than gas powered cars. Electric vehicles require almost no maintenance, and the cost of electricity is less than the cost of gas. You can compare the ownership costs of different vehicles here to see how much money you can save with a more efficient vehicle.
When the City purchases new vehicles, I have asked staff to calculate the total cost of ownership and savings for cleaner models. As a result, the City has added hybrid and electric cars to the fleet and put in place a Sustainable Vehicle Policy to guide future purchases. At the February 8 City Council meeting, we approved the purchase of 4 new hybrid vehicles for the Police Department fleet. Each of these vehicles will save the City over $4,000 in gas costs annually, making up for the additional upfront cost in under a year. Purchasing sustainable vehicles saves the City money while reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
I am proud of my role in greening the City Fleet, but there is more work to be done. In 2021, I am working to add Electric Vehicle (EV) readiness to our building code, following the lead of Chicago and other cities around the country. Wiring new buildings at the time of construction costs a fraction of retrofitting later, thereby saving money for residents. As more auto manufacturers announce the shift to electric vehicles, we should make sure that new construction in Highland Park is ready for Electric Vehicle charging.
Covid Vaccinations
Illinois has begun vaccinating people over age 65, while continuing with vaccinations for health care workers and nursing home residents. You can sign up now through the Lake County Health Department to be notified when it’s your turn to get the Covid vaccine. They will ask your age and risk factors so they can let you know when it’s time to make an appointment. If you have friends or family in Cook County, they can sign up here to receive updates on vaccine availability and scheduling. Pharmacies and health care systems will also be distributing vaccines, so you may want to contact your pharmacy and your doctor’s office to make sure you are on their lists as well. The State of Illinois has this site where you can find vaccine locations.
There are approximately 3 million additional people eligible for the vaccine in Illinois as of this week, so it will take some time to get vaccines to everyone who wants them. Please be patient and continue taking precautions — wear a mask when leaving your home, maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet from people of outside of your household, and stay home if you are sick.
Pollinator Friendly Planting
The January 25 City Council agenda includes the 2021 flower planting contract. I successfully advocated to include a provision that plants purchased be free of neonicinoid pesticides, which makes them safe for pollinators.
Unemployment Fraud
There has been a large increase in fraudulent unemployment claims in recent months. Someone filed a false claim for unemployment in my name late last year, and the same thing happened to my husband this week. You can find out about this in several ways:
- You may receive a letter from the State about unemployment benefits that you did not request.
- Your employer may be contacted to verify that you are not employed anymore.
- You may receive a debit card in the mail from Key Bank.
If you receive a letter from the State or a debit card from Key Bank, go to this page to report the fraud. Do not call Key Bank or use the debit card. Keep the letter, debit card, and copies of any other documentation in a safe place as you may need this information as you work to resolve the issue.
Check your credit report with Equifax, Transunion and Experian to be sure there is no other fraudulent activity. You may want to put a security freeze on your accounts at the credit bureaus.
Recycling Update
As the City Council liaison to trash, I have the opportunity to meet quarterly with our trash hauler, representatives of the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, and City staff to discuss all things trash. At the most recent meeting, I learned that residential trash and recycling volumes in Highland Park have increased over the past 6 months by about 11%. This makes sense since people are spending more time at home due to the pandemic. Here are some things you can do to help reduce waste and improve recycling:
- Buy items that have minimal packaging or are packaged in recyclable materials.
- Do not use plastic bags for your recyclables. Plastic bags and plastic envelopes should not go into your recycling cart. They can get caught in the sorting machinery and contaminate our recycling. You can recycle clean, dry plastic bags and plastic envelopes at local big box and grocery stores. Find the nearest location for plastic film recycling here.
- Clothing and textiles can be dropped off in the bins at the HP Metra station (east of the tracks and south of the station) or the HP Recycling Center, 1180 Half Day Road, for recycling or reuse. These bins are available 24/7.
- Clean tin foil should be balled up before being placed in your recycling cart. To be picked up by the sorting equipment, make sure to collect enough foil to make a ball larger than a tennis ball.
- Lids can stay on the containers placed in your recycle bin. Please rinse out containers before recycling.
- You can compost your food scraps through the winter. Pick ups are every other Wednesday, and sign up is required. For details and to sign up, click here.
Plastic recycling has been in the news a lot lately. While some haulers are having trouble with plastics, our waste hauler has markets in the US for all the items they currently accept for recycling. For example, #5 plastics are being made into paint buckets. A list of items that are recyclable in Highland Park is here.
Covid Vaccine Information
You can sign up now through Lake County to be notified when it’s your turn to get the Covid vaccine. They will ask your age and risk factors so they can let you know when it’s time to make an appointment for your vaccine. Those most at risk will be vaccinated first (health care workers and people in long term care facilities.) It may be awhile until everyone is vaccinated, so please continue to be careful and wear your mask when leaving your home.
Winter Compost Program begins December 16
Yard waste and food scraps are now collected year round, but you must sign up by emailing Service@lrsrecycles.com. You can pay per can/bag with stickers or purchase a seasonal subscription.
Pick ups are on Wednesdays through the end of March. The every other week schedule will begin for those located West of 41 on Wednesday, December 16 and then East of 41 on Wednesday December 23, rotating every other week until Wednesday, March 31.
Have a Safe Thanksgiving
We all have coronavirus fatigue. Please power through and continue to make responsible choices regarding mask wearing and physical distancing, so that we can get through this challenging time as safely as possible.
Covid cases are rising in Lake County and hospitals are becoming overwhelmed. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.” It’s very hard to tell your adult children and those in college not to come home for the holiday, but that may be safest for everyone.
Returning Your Ballot
If you have requested a mail-in ballot and have not yet returned it, you should deposit it in a secure ballot drop box (find locations and hours here). If you’d prefer to vote in person, you may surrender the mail-in ballot and certification envelope to the check-in judge on Election Day and get a new ballot to vote right then and there. While you may still mail in the ballot, it may not be received in time at this point to be counted.
Flatten the Curve: Voting Edition
If you have requested a mail ballot, please fill it out and return it as soon as possible. This will prevent a surge of ballots from coming in at the last minute, and make it easier for the election authority to process ballots.
According to the League of Women Voters of Illinois: “Mail-in ballots are processed as soon as they are received and drop boxes are emptied daily. All mail-in ballots are inspected by election judges who check the signature on the ballot envelope to make sure that it matches the signature on file for that voter. Ballots can be rejected if the signatures don’t match, if the envelope is unsigned or not sealed, or if it is determined that the voter has already voted. Three judges must be unanimous in their decision to reject a ballot for any of these reasons. Voters must be notified within two days if their ballot is rejected, and they have until 14 days after election day to resolve the issue with their election authority. “
You can find links to the locations and hours of Lake County’s official ballot drop boxes and early voting sites here.