Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting beginning this evening at 6:30 PM. A copy of the agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.
Archive for the ‘BACOG’ Category
Village Board of Trustees meets tonight
Posted in BACOG, Board of Elections, Building Department, ePacket Agendas, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Finance Committee, Mac's Property Management, Minutes, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Police Reports, Property Taxes, Roads & Bridges Committee, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President, Village Treasurer, Zoning Board on December 19, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Well water test kits available for pickup starting tomorrow
Posted in BACOG, Topics Of Interest, Well Water Quality on October 2, 2022| Leave a Comment »
BACTERIA AND NITRATES TESTING
“The Annual BACOG Level 1 Private Well Water Testing Event will be held Thursday, October 13, 2022, 11:00am – 6:30pm at The Barrington Area Library.
Purchase water testing kits from October 3 – 10 at your local Village/Township Office. The full list includes: BACOG Office, Barrington Hills Village Hall, Barrington Township Office, Deer Park Village Hall, Lake Barrington Village Hall, South Barrington Village Hall and Tower Lakes Village Hall during regular office hours.
Households with private wells are advised to test for bacteria and nitrates on an annual basis to detect these invisible, odorless contaminants. Bacteria and nitrates can result from animal, insect or human waste or fertilizers reaching the well water and can cause illness in humans.
On October 13, residents may drop off their water sample kits off at the BACOG Event at the Barrington Area Library anytime between the house of 11:00am and 6:30pm. Participants will park in the Library lot and come into the building. We will be in the first community room on the left (there will be plenty of signage). Although primarily a drop-off event, several of our Community Partners will be there with information and take-aways, along with the Lake County Health Department Staff, who will be available to residents for water testing questions.
Test results will be emailed to homeowners within two weeks. Any homeowner with positive results for bacteria or elevated nitrate levels will be contacted within 48 hours by the Lake County Health Department.”
Click here for more information.
Lake County Health Department offers $14 well water testing through 3/17
Posted in BACOG, Going green, Topics Of Interest on March 7, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Note: “A limited number of well-water test kits are available at Barrington Hills Village Hall from 9 AM – 5 PM on a first-come, first-served basis.”
“In observance of National Groundwater Awareness Week, the Lake County Health Department is offering a reduced well water testing fee for homeowners who use well water as their primary source of drinking water. Between March 7 and March 17, 2022, the usual $18.00 fee for testing for bacteria and nitrates will be reduced to $14.00.
“Water is an essential resource that we use to drink, cook, and bathe, but when it’s contaminated it can cause illness,” said Mark Pfister, Executive Director of the Lake County Health Department. “We encourage private well owners in Lake County to do annual water testing and well maintenance to keep their families healthy.”
Sterile test bottles and sampling instructions are available at the Lake County Central Permit Facility (500 W. Winchester Road, Libertyville), the Health Department’s headquarters (3010 Grand Avenue, Waukegan), and 19 township or municipal offices located throughout Lake County. To find a location nearest you, call (847) 377-8020 or visit www.lakecountyil.gov/726/water-wells. Water sampling kits can also be mailed for $18.00.
All collected water samples must be brought to the Lake County Central Permit Facility between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Results of water samples are ready for homeowners in approximately three business days.
For further information on water testing, contact the Health Department at (847) 377-8020, or send an email to HealthEHS@lakecountyil.gov.”
Barrington trustees approve ‘fiscally…responsive’ $39M FY22 budget, which restores hiring for several village positions
Posted in BACOG, EJ&E/Canadian National, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Public Safety, Taxes, Topics Of Interest on December 28, 2021| Leave a Comment »
The Barrington Village Board recently approved a $39 million budget for the village’s fiscal year 2022.
Trustees voted 6-0 at the Dec. 13 board meeting to approve the spending plan, after a public hearing on it was held the same night. There were no public comments at the hearing, and Trustee Emily Young was absent.
The budget will be effective on the first day of the new year, as the village’s fiscal year runs Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.
“This budget, I believe, is fiscally responsible as well as responsive to the service needs of the community,” said Village Manager Scott Anderson. “The spending plan is well aligned with the vision set forth by the elected board and its strategic plan. While this budget is best considered a maintenance budget, commitments are made to continuing, and in some cases, improving our current service levels. At the same time, there is a significant investment in the village’s infrastructure that will occur next year.”
Anderson explained there are 10 independently budgeted funds that roll into to the spending plan, but most of the village’s operating expenses come from the general fund – including police, fire and public works. He noted an uptick in expenses for the village-owned Barrington White House, with a $544,841 appropriation that he said represents the support of programming in the historic downtown venue.
“Programming is opening up now and we’re having more in-person performances which is driving some of that expenditure,” Anderson said.
Read more here.
Crystal Lake to buy downtown train station property through Metra deal (Will Barrington/BACOG?)
Posted in BACOG, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), METRA, Real Estate, Topics Of Interest on November 4, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Commuters exit a westbound Metra train from the Chicago direction on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, in Crystal Lake. (Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia)
The Crystal Lake City Council approved Tuesday the purchase of the 1.8-acre downtown train station and its surrounding property through an intergovernmental agreement with Metra, the result of the Union Pacific’s intention to sell this and other commuter stations on the line.
Union Pacific notified Metra that it had entered into an agreement with an unnamed developer to sell some or all of the 41 train station properties for about $50.9 million, Metra said in a letter to affected municipalities.
Metra has the right of first refusal to purchase the property but doesn’t want it, Crystal Lake city staff said, so instead, the Chicago region commuter rail system offered to buy the train station from Union Pacific on the city’s behalf and transfer the property title to the city of Crystal Lake.
The city of Crystal Lake decided to buy the property because “it’s an important part of the downtown” and city staff recommended it as a good opportunity, Assistant City Manager Eric Helm said.
“The location and the asking price for the property were all very attractive,” Helm said.
No plans are in the works for any changes to the property, Helm said. Crystal Lake, which has a lease with Union Pacific, currently handles minor maintenance items for the station. Helm doesn’t see this changing with the city’s purchase.
Read more here.
Crystal Lake to vote on buying train station property from Union Pacific (Is Barrington/BACOG considering it?)
Posted in BACOG, METRA, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Topics Of Interest on October 31, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Union Pacific, which owns the parcel, plans on selling it, but Metra has first right of refusal

The Crystal Lake City Council will vote Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, on whether to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with Metra to purchase the downtown train station property. (Crystal Lake City Council records)
The Crystal Lake City Council is set to vote Tuesday on whether it wants to enter into an agreement with Metra to buy property around the downtown train station property that Union Pacific is looking to sell.
Although Metra has the first refusal to purchase the property, it does not want to, according to city staff. The Chicago region commuter rail system has offered to buy the 1.8-acre parcel from Union Pacific on the city’s behalf and transfer the property title to Crystal Lake through an intergovernmental agreement.
Cities like Crystal Lake impacted by Union Pacific’s sale plans have until Nov. 12 to approve agreements with Metra, Metra’s director of real estate and contract management, Anthony Ognibene, said in a letter to municipalities.
This offer was given to other municipalities along Union Pacific’s Northwest line as well.
Union Pacific notified Metra that it had entered into a master agreement with an unnamed developer to sell some or all of the 41 train station properties for about $50.9 million, Metra said in the letter. The developer can still choose not to purchase individual stations, according to the letter.
McHenry County stations affected include Crystal Lake’s downtown station as well as the ones in Cary, Woodstock, Harvard, McHenry and Fox River Grove.
Read more here.