PUBLIC NOTICE
Effective August 31, 2023, the East Skokie Drainage District (ESDD) and West Skokie Drainage District (WSDD) have merged and consolidated to become the Skokie Consolidated Drainage District. A new website for the Skokie Consolidated Drainage District is in development and will be available shortly. In the meantime, the meeting schedule, agenda and minute information for the new district will be posted on the existing ESDD and WSDD websites. Should you have any questions, please contact the phone numbers listed on either website.
On July 25, 2023, a Petition was filed with the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court to merge East Skokie and West Skokie Drainage Districts, annex certain properties and create an East Skokie and West Skokie Subdistrict.
These proposed changes will not increase the Annual Maintenance Assessment currently being assessed on properties within each District. The purpose for seeking consolidation is to reduce duplicate administrative costs that have been incurred to maintain two separate drainage districts.
The Petition also seeks to annex a limited number of properties that are located within the Watersheds served by each District and to create two subdistricts (Subdistrict No. 1-East Skokie and Subdistrict No. 2-West Skokie). After general administrative expenses, the Annual Maintenance Assessment for each subdistrict will be dedicated and used to maintain the drainage system located within each subdistrict.
It is not necessary for you to appear in court for the scheduled hearing unless you wish to file an objection to the relief requested by the Commissioners in the Verified Petition. A copy of the Petition scheduled for hearing on August 31, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom C-205 can be viewed here.
DRAINAGE NOTICE OF HEARING
If you received the following Drainage Notice, you are either already part of the West Skokie Drainage District or your property is proposed to be annexed into the Drainage District because your stormwater drains to the drainage channel.
DRAINAGE NOTICE OF HEARING
PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that on the 25th day of July, 2023, a Verified Petition to Consolidate Drainage Districts, to Annex and Assess Certain Properties, and to Establish Subdistricts, together with Proposed Annual Maintenance Assessment Rolls was filed in the Circuit Court of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Lake County, Illinois, by the Commissioners of EAST SKOKIE DRAINAGE DISTRICT and WEST SKOKIE DRAINAGE DISTRICT.
That in their Verified Petition, the Commissioners seek authority to: (1) merge said Drainage Districts into a consolidated district, pursuant to 70 ILCS 605/9-4.1 and 605/9-8, (2) to annex and assess certain properties not currently within the district pursuant to 70 ILCS 605/8-3, and (3) to form Subdistricts pursuant to 70 ILCS 605/7-1; that the name of the proposed consolidated district is: SKOKIE CONSOLIDATED DRAINAGE DISTRICT. The proposed Subdistricts are the SUBDISTRICT NO. 1-EAST SKOKIE and SUBDISTRICT NO. 2-WEST SKOKIE; that said Petition does not seek to establish an annual maintenance assessment for the proposed Main district or to increase any existing maintenance assessments; the administrative costs, publications, insurance and attorney fees that benefit all properties of the consolidated district shall be shared by the proposed subdistricts; that said Petition seeks to maintain the current annual maintenance assessment for East Skokie Drainage District in the amount of $515,000.00, as the annual maintenance assessment for Subdistrict No. 1-East Skokie; and to maintain the current annual maintenance assessment for West Skokie Drainage District in the amount of $159,800.00, as the annual maintenance assessment for the proposed Subdistrict No. 2-West Skokie; that no damages are proposed to be allowed, that no lands are proposed to be taken, and that there is no compensation to be allowed; that the full Verified Petition, current and proposed Assessment Rolls are available for inspection at the office of the Lake County Circuit Clerk at the Lake County Courthouse.
Upon filing of the Verified Petition, it was presented to the Court and by the Court set for hearing before Judge Charles W. Smith, Courtroom 205, in the Lake County Courthouse at 18 N. County Street, Waukegan, Illinois, on the 31st day of August, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. at which time and place the Court shall determine whether the Drainage Districts proposed to be merged are contiguous and whether such consolidation will be beneficial to a major portion of the lands in each district, whether the properties identified in the Verified Petition are benefited by the drainage districts’ maintenance projects, and whether the formation of Subdistricts will provide more minute management; at which time and place, all interested persons may, but are not required to, appear and be heard upon all questions of benefits, damages, and compensation, if they see fit to do so.
Dated: August 1, 2023.
ERIN CARTWRIGHT WEINSTEIN, Circuit Clerk of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Lake County, Illinois
CONSOLIDATION INFORMATION
For a map of the East and West Skokie Drainage Districts, statistical and additional information on the Proposed Consolidation of the East Skokie and West Skokie Drainage Districts click this PDF.
Assessment Roll
Each year the Commissioners review the needs of the drainage district to determine the percentage of the Court approved assessment ($159,800.00) to levy for the upcoming year. Property owners can look up their assessment amount by searching either the Property Index Number (PIN) or last name in the 2023 assessment roll.
Questions
For additional information or questions, you can contact Fuqua Winter Ltd. at (847) 244-0770 or bwinter@fuquawinter.com
ABOUT THE DISTRICT
HISTORY OF THE WEST SKOKIE DRAINAGE DISTRICT
The West Skokie Drainage District is a regional municipal entity authorized to maintain and manage a stormwater drainage system located within the middle fork of the Chicago River in Lake County, Illinois. The District begins north of Deerfield Road in Deerfield, Illinois and extends North to Buckley Road located in Green Oaks, Illinois. A map of the District can be found by clicking the button below.
PURPOSE
The District was organized under the Illinois Drainage Act in 1909 to construct a stormwater drainage system to improve drainage and land use within the watershed. The drainage system consists of a main channel that extends for approximately 12 miles. The main channel and a reservoir collects stormwater which falls throughout the watershed and conveys the water south as part of the north branch of the Chicago River.
MANAGEMENT
The management and maintenance of the District is the responsibility of Drainage District Commissioners appointed under the provisions of the Illinois Drainage Act.
MEETINGS
The Commissioners meet on a regular basis at the Village Hall of Deerfield located at 850 Waukegan Road, Deerfield, IL 60015.
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA)
For additional information, including FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests, contact Bryan R. Winter, Attorney for the District and FOIA Officer, 9 N. County Street, Suite 200, Waukegan, IL 60085 or by phone at 847-244-0770. Requests may also be submitted via email to bwinter@fuquawinter.com.
FOIA Requests should contain your name, address, the date of the request, a daytime phone number, exactly what it is you are requesting, and how you would like to receive that information. Please make your written request for information as specific as possible in order to expedite the processing of your request.
There will be no fee for the first 50 printed pages; thereafter the District will charge 15 cents per page. Any cost for reproducing oversized documents will be passed on to the person(s) requesting the information. Copying costs must be paid before the documents or records are furnished. Please direct all requests, questions or concerns to the FOIA officer listed above.
The District has the following general categories of records: annual reports, meeting minutes, resolutions, project files and general information files.
Commissioners:
Chairman Camilla Dadey
Commissioner Morris Ban
Commissioner Christopher Call
Coordinating Engineer:
James Anderson Company
920 West North Shore Drive
Lake Bluff, IL 60044
847-295-3322