Riverwoods officials weigh options after county moves threaten South Lake Mosquito Abatement District

Village of Riverwoods officials said they are closely monitoring threats to the South Lake Mosquito Abatement District after recent Lake County board appointments and public comments by county leadership. The topic dominated a board discussion and trustees described contingency planning options if the district were dissolved.

Mayor Ford told trustees the village currently lacks a representative on the South Lake board and that Highland Park appointees at the recent county-board meeting raised concern about the district's future. "We are very concerned about the future of our South Lake Mosquito Abatement District," the mayor said. She described options under consideration if the district no longer exists, including contracting directly with Clark (the current vendor) or exploring an intergovernmental agreement with the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District.

Trustees discussed the public-health and coordination implications of dissolving the district. Trustee Eastman said municipalities that "go it alone" tend to have their own public-works programs but cautioned that fragmenting control could hinder disease surveillance and coordinated response. "There needs to be a lot of coordination and sharing of information, particularly when it comes to West Nile and other diseases," Mayor Ford said.

Trustees and staff described the district as a taxing body that levies roughly $25 a year per household (the mayor estimated the village contribution at around $30,000 annually) and said most district work is performed by the contractor Clark. Several trustees said some county board members had questioned the district's relevance and that the county-board chair, Sandy Hart, had been vocal about disbanding "nonessential government entities." Trustees said Hart replaced several trustees previously and appointed people who may favor dissolution.

Trustee Clayton framed the issue as a health-and-safety concern and said it might be time to consider withdrawing from the taxing district or otherwise rethinking the village's participation. Some trustees said there are trade-offs: pooling resources across municipalities supports coordinated surveillance and reduces the risk of uncoordinated private spraying by property owners, which can harm pollinators and the environment.

Mayor Ford said Riverwoods intends to keep attending South Lake meetings, to seek briefings from Clark's local representative George Ballas and to invite the North Shore district's executive director for a presentation. She also said the village would explore legal and procedural options and that, if dissolution of the district moves forward, the village would pursue a "backdoor referendum" process to seek public input if eligible under county rules.

Trustees asked staff to continue monitoring the situation, to research options including intergovernmental agreements and direct contracting, and to report back. Several trustees and attendees praised Sarah Merritt, a Riverwoods candidate to fill a seat on the South Lake board, for her outreach to the village and said they would continue to seek representation on the district board.