During my political career I have voted against the Route 53 extension mostly because of my stance against suburban sprawl and my position on retention of our green assets. If given the opportunity, I will Vote Against this proposal again, not only because of my general belief concerning suburban sprawl and the future of Lake County , but also because We should not be raising taxes and fees on our residents.
Not only will the 4 cents hit us in our pockets, increased fees and tolls will push cars and trucks off the 294 tollway and onto route 41, causing dangerous and increased traffic for our eastern Lake County residents.
With a majority of the Lake County Board seats up for election in 2016, I think it is incumbent on the candidates to voice their position on these taxes and fees prior to the filing deadline for the 2016 election. We need to have this discussion soon since the Lake County Board has never taken a position on these increases in taxes and fees and the viability of the Route 53 plan is based on an acceptable and valid financial plan.
