Prickly Cities

Those attending an Island Lake village board meeting may be relieved to know that a part-time Island Lake police officer is being paid to chaperone. The Mayor of Island Lake justified the expense by telling the Daily Herald that the practice is common:

extra officers have attended board meetings for several years to keep the peace. Audience members and trustees occasionally have become unruly during discussions.
Politically connected cop paid to attend Island Lake meetings

For the record, the official motto of Island Lake is ...

A Community of Friendly People

Haha, your LakeCountyEye never gets tired of that joke.

Wauconda, another Lake County village, has a more trendy-sounding town motto:

Water • Spirit • Wonder

In 2012 Wauconda voters OKed a $41 million referendum to obtain their water from Lake Michigan. According to their website, Wauconda currently draws its drinking water from municipal wells. Urban planners warn that Lake County's growing population means its groundwater aquifers are steadily diminishing in quantity and quality. This may be why Wauconda is eager to become a member of the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency, and tap into the Agency's safe and reliable supply of Lake Michigan water.

Some cold water, however, has been thrown on what could be a good deal for Wauconda residents. There may be some bad blood boiling between CLCJAWA and Wauconda's village leaders. According to the Daily Herald ...

To join the agency that provides drinking water to a dozen Lake County communities, Wauconda officials will have to select a representative other than Mayor Frank Bart, the leader of the group's board said Friday. "I don't think anyone would want the mayor to sit at our table right now," said Rich Hill, chairman of the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency board. "With him being involved, it's still an issue."
Water agency leader says panel doesn't want to work with Wauconda mayor

To publicly blackball a sitting Mayor like that is extreme by any standard. Your LakeCountyEye suspects the CLCJAWA board may have instead been better served to hire a part-time police officer to attend their meetings. Just sayin!

Your LakeCountyEye observes that Island Lake and Wauconda both sit virtually side-by-side on the Lake County map:

Note to ops: If you're ever in the Island Lake / Wauconda area, don't drink the water.