East Skokie Drainage District
Public Notice

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.

COURT HEARING AND VERIFIED PETITION

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 East 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 ($515,000.00) 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.