LF4T
Dedicated to Educating Residents of Lake Forest About How Our Government Works and Advocating for Good Governance.
LF4T
Dedicated to Educating Residents of Lake Forest About How Our Government Works and Advocating for Good Governance.
WEST SIDE CELL TOWER UPDATE
July 13
At Monday’s City Council meeting, residents felt like they were left hanging upside down as two agenda items related to wireless service on the west side of town were acted on and approved.
First, a Wireless Coverage Report was presented to the Council, which showed various signal strengths throughout the City. Several areas stood out as deficient, including the east side along the beach, along 41, and the west side in the Settler’s Square area. However, the meeting focused on the west side coverage area.
The consultant identified a Search Ring where a new cell tower could be erected on the west side, which included the West Lake Forest Train Station parking lot, where the cell tower had originally been proposed last fall.
Some residents spoke up in support of better cell service but stopped short of endorsing a specific location, while other residents stated their support of better cell service but strenuously objected to placing a cell tower at the train station lot.
City Council then voted to accept the Wireless Service Coverage Report, acknowledged the deficiency in service, and directed that the Plan Commission find someplace within the Search Ring specified in the report in which to put a new cell tower.
Next, the City Council voted to approve and accept the Plan Commission’s recommendation to add a small Overlay District at the Compost Recycling Center. Their approval provided for an immediate addition to the District without a second reading on the matter and opened the door for a cell tower to be built there.
Many residents left the meeting wondering why the agenda items seemed reversed. The consultant was clear that any changes to cellular infrastructure would very likely change cell coverage, having firmly stated that in the earlier agenda item. Residents were puzzled as to why City Council would need to direct the Plan Commission to continue seeking an expansion of the overlay district before the Commission’s recommended, approved and far less controversial location at the Compost Recycling Center had had a chance to be utilized.
Friday, many Lake Foresters breathed a sigh of relief as the City announced that they would concentrate on the Compost site and pause any action on the west train station lot. Hanging upside down may be a summer thrill at Six Flags, but most residents prefer not to experience that at home.
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City Council Report on Wireless Service - Tonight at 6:30 PM
July 7
CORRECTION: IN PARAGRAPH FOUR BELOW, THE SIZE OF THE PROPOSED CELL TOWER’S BASE IS GIVEN AS “30 feet by 8 feet.” THE ACTUAL SIZE IS 132.3 FEET BY 18 FEET, PER THE LAKE FOREST CITY PACKET FROM NOVEMBER 2024.
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City Council Report on Wireless Service - Tonight at 6:30 PM
July 7
Today the Lake Forest City Council reviews the report on wireless service coverage. It provides information on the adequacy of coverage and possible options for enhancing wireless service for residents, businesses, schools, and public safety personnel.
Last fall, the Plan Commission listened to the original proposal of a cell phone tower at the West Lake Forest Train Station. It was met with pushback by many members of the community and has raised many questions regarding recent, current, and future development in Lake Forest.
A recap:
On August 15, 2024, Mayor Randy Tack sent an email to Lake Forest City Manager Jason Wicha and City Development Director Cathy Czerniak expressing his desire for a “renewed push” to improve cell service on the west side. [Click to view email]
Tack’s request resulted in City staff introducing their telecommunications proposal to the Plan Commission at the Commission’s October 9, 2024 meeting. The Commissioners were told that construction of a cell tower in the West Lake Forest Train Station parking lot first required an amendment to the City Code. Per City Ordinance, cell towers only can be erected in certain overlay districts. At that meeting, the Commission approved a continuance on the amendment to ad an overlay district. *
On November 13, 2024, the Commission resumed deliberating the City staff’s proposal of erecting a 150-160 foot tall tower (roughly 15 stories) with a 132 foot by 18 foot base enclosure in the southeast corner of the West Train Station parking lot, near the corner of Everett and Waukegan Roads. The Commission also recommended “that the City engage an independent consultant to conduct a review of telecommunications issues in the community.” **
Today, the City Council has two agenda items it could act on. First, they could accept the report by the consultant Kimley-Horn, acknowledging “the deficiency in wireless service coverage in the 4th Ward, specifically in the vicinity of Waukegan and Everett Roads,” AND direct the Plan Commission to reconsider a Code amendment that would identify a location for a monopole or stealth tower “within the search ring identified in the report."
Secondly, City Council could also accept the Plan Commission’s recommendation to make part of the Compost and Recycling Center available for a “cell tower or monopole, antennas, and related ground equipment.” This option would waive the first reading and make the change effective immediately. [Page 5 Old Business Agenda], [Complete City Council Agenda]
Many who attended both Plan Commission meetings last fall are concerned about potential negative impacts of a cell tower so close to homes and businesses. They question why other sites were dismissed as unsuitable until residents banded together and organized a Petition to Stop the Construction of Cell Tower in Our Community. To date, the petition has received nearly 1000 signatures. [Click to View Petition]
Lake Forest has historically followed strict guidelines regarding development, and for good reason: to preserve the unique aesthetic that persuaded most residents to call Lake Forest their home. Staying informed of the next steps of a looming cell tower is important to future development in Lake Forest.
If you have questions or concerns, we encourage you to attend Monday’s City Council Meeting tonight, at 6:30 PM, either in person at City Hall, at home via cable Channel 17 or via the City’s website via YouTube [Click to Livestream]. Please note, only those in attendance at the meeting will be allowed to make public comments. You may also contact your City Council Representatives via phone or email. (Click for Contact Information)
-LF4T
* *PLAN COMMISSION Meeting Minutes, November 13, 2024, p. 16, last paragraph under “3.”
City Council Report on Wireless Service in the Community
July 3
On Monday, July 7th, The Lake Forest City Council will meet at 6:30 pm at City Hall. A report on wireless service coverage is expected to be presented and City staff will have up to 48 hours before the meeting to post the agenda and corresponding information on the City’s website.
The wireless report is anticipated to be on the agenda and contained in the packet. It will provide information on the adequacy of coverage and, if needed, present options for enhancing wireless service for residents, businesses, schools, and public safety personnel, with particular focus on cell coverage in the Fourth Ward.
Many residents pushed back on the original proposal of a 150–160 foot tall cell tower (roughly 15 stories) at the West Lake Forest Train Station and have started a petition against it (Petition to Stop the Construction of Cell Tower in Our Community). Monday’s report may point to other options…or it may not.
Lake Forest has historically followed strict guidelines regarding development, and for good reason: to preserve the unique aesthetic that persuaded most residents to call Lake Forest their home. While we are uncertain exactly what the Mayor and City Council Members will be presented with at the July 7th meeting, staying informed of the next steps is important to future development in Lake Forest.
If you have questions or concerns, we encourage you to attend Monday’s City Council Meeting either in person or at home via cable Channel 17 or YouTube. Please note, only those in attendance at the meeting will be allowed to make public comments.
-LF4T
How Long is Too Long?
June 30
It has been over a year since former Lake Forest Caucus President Joe Oriti pledged to modernize the Caucus Bylaws. Specifically, there were – and are - two primary concerns. The first is what happens if the Caucus Committee’s recommended candidate(s) do not receive the majority vote required to be slated in the general election. The second is to make the bylaws and the general membership’s votes binding. Addressing both concerns would circumvent a repeat of what happened with the Fall 2022 Mayoral Vote and the April 2024 Executive Committee Vote. Oriti promised that they would be addressed and, ideally, changed during his term.
An Ad Hoc Committee was formed last fall to make recommendations to the Caucus Committee. The recommendations were to be ready by February 1, 2025 and presented to the Caucus Executive Committee, who would in turn present the changes to the forty-three Caucus Committee representatives and officers for approval and placement on the ballot at the Caucus’s 2025 Spring Meeting.
This did not happen. Instead, in the weeks prior to the Spring Meeting and after the Ad Hoc Committee made their recommendations, the Caucus Executive Committee announced that they would be pushing bylaw modernization to the Fall of 2025. Oriti stated that there were numerous recommendations made by the Ad Hoc Committee and that the Caucus Executive Committee and Caucus Committee would need more time to go over them. He made the Ad Hoc Committee’s recommendations public and passed the torch to his successor, Regina Etherton.
Earlier this month, the Caucus Committee, led by Etherton, released a statement informing residents that bylaw modernization regarding these important matters will be pushed back yet again, this time to Spring 2026 and that the Committee has shifted its priority to presenting an amendment this fall to one allowing electronic voting in Caucus Committee Elections.
This begs the question: Why is electronic voting now the highest priority? And a close second question: is electronic voting even trustworthy? Currently, the Committee checks state IDs against registered voter rolls it receives from Lake County before giving anyone a ballot. Only those listed on the voter rolls are Lake Forest Caucus members and they are the only ones allowed to vote. It is very unclear how this check will occur electronically.
The Committee is already seeking additional donations to provide an attorney review for this and other anticipated amendments, but no one is sure what the amendments will be. In fact, they are still being discussed with the Ad Hoc Committee. Etherton has said that there will be opportunity for public comment once the amendments have been agreed upon, before finalizing them and putting them on the ballot.
While this is a step in ensuring that the public has a stake in the bylaw changes, the fact remains that the Lake Forest Caucus Committee has been acting without legal bylaws since 2011 and has declared two of their votes non-binding by using their PAC (Political Action Committee) status to justify their decisions. Committing to binding bylaws and to what will happen if a recommended candidate is not approved are, and should, remain the highest priorities of the Caucus Committee. In 2023, within a matter of months, the Committee presented the CPA (Caucus Preservation Act) Amendment to eliminate the votes of all regular Caucus members entirely, yet it’s taking years to assure members that their votes are needed and heeded, and to abide by binding bylaws.
How long is too long?
-LF4T
City’s Legal Committee Threatened with Disbandment
June 6
Recent efforts by the Lake Forest City Council to dissolve two community-oriented boards have sparked robust community response and heightened conversations about oversight and transparency in local government.
At the April 21st City Council meeting, Mayor Randy Tack proposed, and Council members voted in agreement, to eliminate the Legal Committee and the Parks and Recreation Board. The mayor cited a light workload for both committees and suggested that the committees’ activities were meaningless. Second Ward Alderman Ted Notz concurred, emphasizing the importance of not wasting residents’ time. Both committees have existed for a number of years; Parks and Rec for at least 30 years and Legal for approximately 20 years. Both committees are made up solely of volunteers, being vetted first by the Lake Forest Caucus Committee, then recommended to the mayor who then may or may not choose to nominate them for approval by City Council. (The mayor has full authority to nominate all City Committee members, whether recommended by the Caucus Committee or not.)
This unanimous affirmative vote on April 21st was the first reading of the proposal to eliminate these committees. The proposal needed a second reading and another affirmative vote before the committees were formally eliminated. Thus, many concerned community members attended the May 5th Council meeting and voiced strong opposition to disbanding the Legal Committee. Art Mertes, a Legal Committee member, told the Council that they offer “a useful check and balance…adding rigor and inquiry” to managing the City’s legal affairs. Other residents joined Mertes in urging the Council to reconsider their votes. Former State Senator Susan Garrett noted that Lake Forest residents “…place a high value on government oversight and transparency” and praised the volunteer Committee’s legal expertise.
The League of Women Voters of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff also voiced concerns. In a letter dated May 7, they stated that the council moved quickly on the decision with limited public notice, stating that “democratic government requires timely communication” and that residents must have meaningful opportunities to participate in local governance.
In response to public outcry, the council voted unanimously to table the proposal rather than immediately disband the Legal Committee. While this delays the decision it does not permanently resolve it, and the Council could revisit the issue in the future.*
This debate highlights a broader concern about the balance between efficient governance and meaningful community oversight. For many, the volunteer Legal Committee represents an important layer of transparency and oversight, ensuring informed legal scrutiny within the City’s decision-making process. Public involvement in government decisions is key to the success of our democracy. Residents are watching how well the Lake Forest City Council upholds this tenet.
*Note: the Parks and Rec Committee was unanimously dissolved on May 5th upon the second reading. The Parks and Rec budget is the largest of the City’s Enterprise Funds.
-LF4T
Remember To Vote Today!
Mar 18
Caucus Executive Officers are up for election. Nominees for President, Vice President , Treasurer, Secretary, Fundraising, Internal Communications and External Communications are being presented as an entire slate.
There is no opportunity to vote for each officer individually this year, nor has that been the case in the last several years, so Caucus members will again choose between “yes” or “no” for all seven.
Remember, these seven people will guide the Committee throughout the next year. Several of those on the ballot today took part in decisions that alienated a significant portion of residents, among them the defeated Caucus Preservation Act, which would have gotten rid of the general membership’s ability to vote on the Committee’s recommended candidates for public office.
Although efforts have been made to reassure residents that their votes - and their voices - are important, there is still work left to be done and we are still in the same situation we were in last year.
Vote Today at Gorton Center, 2 pm to 8pm. Bring your ID
Caucus Executive Committee Vote, Tuesday March 18
Mar 15
On Tuesday, March 18, registered voters are called to Gorton Center and asked to vote on the Committee’s Executive Officer slate. This vote is in-person only.
In fits and starts, the Committee has reached out to the community over the past year to mend its fractured relationship with a significant number of residents. Last spring the Executive Officer slate was not affirmed at the first vote. The Caucus Executive Committee then declared that vote non-binding and its intention to install its officers without an affirmation vote. This followed the recent tradition of leaders who, in 2022, declared that the general membership’s vote against the Committee’s recommended mayoral candidate Randy Tack was non-binding, and then in 2023, presented the Caucus Preservation Act to do away with the general membership’s vote altogether. But last spring, a group of concerned citizens stepped in and made a legal inquiry challenging the Committee’s decision. The Committee agreed to hold a second vote and, in a break with past leadership, then-presidential candidate Joe Oriti promised to modernize the bylaws via an Ad Hoc Committee and present those bylaws to the community for a vote during his term in office. The public accepted this gesture to restore trust and at the second vote, the officer slate was approved.
This year the expected vote on modernizing the bylaws will not happen. Oriti disclosed that there were many proposed changes and the Committee believed that these should be considered carefully before proceeding, along with the issue of previously undisclosed costs. Current Caucus presidential candidate Regina Etherton is now assuring the public that the bylaw project started under Oriti will continue deliberating changes.
This is generally a sound course of action unless there is a crisis of public trust. In this case, there is a significant amount of lingering distrust centering around two key issues: binding bylaws and what occurs if the general membership does not affirm one or more of the Committee’s recommended candidates for public office. Without resolving these items, the general membership is left wondering if this system is legitimate and if their participation is truly welcome, despite assurances that it is. Prior statements from Caucus Committee members saying that the Caucus was previously run on social norms, not bylaws, and that the public votes were pro forma and ceremonial, reinforces that distrust.
The bylaws will not be up for a vote on March 18. The officer candidates will be. Etherton could build on Oriti’s statements and pledge to bring at least these two key issues for an amendment vote this fall and to conduct her term in office as if they were already in place.
That would set an example for incoming Committee members and a roadmap for the next year.
Please Vote:
Tuesday March 18
Gorton Community Center
2:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Caucus Committee Postpones Bylaw Changes
Feb 22
On February 11, 2025, the Lake Forest Caucus Executive Committee announced it will not present amended bylaws to the community for a vote next month.
The expressed reasons are two-fold: insufficient time for review by the Executive Committee and insufficient funds for outside counsel review.
Residents were never informed the original timeline was too ambitious.
The Ad Hoc Committee was fully formed October 10th last year and met regularly for four months to discuss and propose bylaw amendments. A primary goal of the Ad Hoc Committee was to submit a letter with recommendations to the Executive Committee by January 31st. They met that deadline.
The February 11th communication to residents from the CaucusCommittee did not fully explain the incremental need for more time. Nor did it provide a revised date for completion. This delay increases concern that new bylaws codifying residents’ binding voting rights in Caucus decisions might never be adopted.
In the Fall of 2023, some current Executive Committee Officers were proponents of the Caucus Preservation Act (CPA), a bylaw amendment intended to eliminate residents’ voting rights — and ability to participate — on Caucus recommended candidates. They helped guide the CPA to a public vote and would surely be aware of the timeframe needed from the outset.
Residents were never informed of costs associated with producing bylaw amendments.
The Caucus Committee says that it needs $10,000-20,000 for attorneys to look over changes to the bylaws. If the Caucus did not have sufficient funds to complete the Ad Hoc Committee’s project, it could have, rather easily, solicited contributions from many residents closely following this important work. This leaves the public wondering if the money will be prioritized to see this project through to completion. Again, several members of the Executive Committee have experience with presenting bylaw amendments and should have been aware of the costs.
The Ad-hoc Committee and the Focus Group did their part.
The Ad-hoc Committee met many times to craft bylaw changes, the Focus Group assembled and provided their input, Joe Oriti(Caucus President) and Regina Etherton (Caucus Vice President) involved themselves in the process, and the Ad-hoc Committee finalized their recommendations…only to have the Caucus Executive Committee provide their decision to postpone.
The Caucus Executive Committee did not honor its word, can resume not honoring our votes, and continues to represent Lake Forest residents without full acknowledgement that the bylaws are binding.
- LF4T
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
Nov 12
There’s a saying in real estate about location being everything, and that’s at the forefront of a developing project on the west side of town. This time it’s not a new condominium development, it’s the construction of a cell tower in the West Lake Forest Train Station parking lot, adjacent to Waukegan and Everett Roads. Key (and quite debatable) considerations are:
1) This particular location, as opposed to other, more discreet sites
2) Overall compliance with City Code re: telecommunications facilities
3) The tower’s effect on property values and the general public’s welfare
Residents throughout Lake Forest have reported inconsistent and spotty cell phone service for some time. Switching cell service providers won’t necessarily help. Residents would welcome enhanced service, either through thoughtful placement of a cell tower or the addition of antennas. Objections to this cell tower is not a NIMBY (“not in my backyard”) complaint. It is a call from residents asking that their fellow citizens who sit on the Plan Commission and City Council fully represent residents’ interests and concerns.
This tower could reach a height of 160 feet and have a base so big that at least 12 parking spaces are needed to accommodate it. The tower will become a focal point of the West Lake Forest business district, even with a brick wall to enclose the base. In the original Oct. 9th packet, City Staff proposed this one location as the ONLY feasible place for this tower. Many questions arise as to why.
While complaints of poor service have surfaced, no follow-up survey of residents was performed. A Change.org petition, opposing construction of the tower in the West Lake Forest Train Station parking lot, is currently circulating in the community and has received over 600 signatures. Apparently many residents are not happy with this project.
The Oct. 9th packet contains no meaningful discussion regarding placements at other sites in Lake Forest, including on the west side. It simply indicates that “Various options have been explored with a priority given to the potential of locating antennas on existing structures in the area. The buildings in the area do not provide sufficient height to improve service. Without clear benefit of an installation, telecommunications providers are not willing to make an investment in the area and the community’s needs will not be met”. The City’s water tower is located on the west side and would meet the height requirement. There is no mention of a feasibility study or discussion as to why the water tower wouldn’t be a better location.
Statements in the Oct. 9th packet also fail to mention compliance with other parts of the City Code. These Code sections state that “Personal wireless service facilities should be located and designed to minimize any adverse effect they may have on residential property values and to minimize the impact of the site on the surrounding neighborhood.” (Section 159.153(C)(1)) and “Sites should be placed in locations where the existing topography, vegetation, buildings or other structures provide the greatest amount of screening.” (Section 159.153(C)(2)).
In addition to questionable Code compliance, the packet statements also imply that the telecommunications companies are hitting the City with a “take it or leave it” proposition. In effect, if we don’t agree to this location, we won’t get anything at all. Without a more detailed synopsis of the discussions City Staff have had with these companies, residents are left wondering if City negotiators caved on seeking alternative solutions and how well residents’ best interests were considered and conveyed.
Plan Commissioners and aldermen should be as concerned with the aesthetics of the west side as they are of the east side. It is doubtful that a 150-160 foot cell tower in the East Lake Forest Train Station parking lot, adjacent to homes, the downtown business district, and the Library and Gorton Center, would be considered.
A new packet of information was released on the evening of November 8 (Click to view Packet), in which City staff attempt to provide additional justifications for the tower at the West Side Train Station. The new packet is 75-pages, and concerned residents are given just five days to sift through it, compare it with the old, and process the changes.
So if you are interested in learning more, both from City Staff and residents, attend the Plan Commission meeting on Wednesday, November 13th at 6:30 pm at City Hall and/or look over the provided packet and comment on it.
- LF4T
Lake Forest On Topic Podcast
