Vernon Hills signs on as founding member of Lake County consolidated 911 dispatch (LACOM)

Vernon Hills trustees unanimously approved a set of resolutions to make the village a founding member of the Lake County consolidated emergency communications entity known as LACOM and to pursue the parallel formation of a new joint Emergency Telephone System Board (JESB).

Chief Greece described the consolidation as the product of years of planning to reduce jurisdictional 'jigsaw puzzle' issues that can delay the dispatch of the appropriate police or fire resource. "What we envision is a dispatch map that looks like this, as early as July 2025, to improve the ability to, wherever someone calls 911, to pick up the phone and get the right resource to the right location in the shortest amount of time," the chief said.

Village staff explained the governance structure: a member board of directors composed of member agencies will nominate an executive committee and hire an inaugural executive director. The Lake County Board approved the county-level participation on June 11, and staff expected about 21 other agencies to sign on and for the first member meeting to occur next month.

Trustees asked about funding and the transition. Managers said transitional funding discussions are ongoing and that the new legal entity will exist on paper in July but will have zero income while establishing staff, contracts and operations. The board approved Resolution 2024-017 (founding document for LACOM) and related resolutions by roll call.

What’s next: Staff will return with transitional funding proposals and to appoint the village’s member representatives to the LACOM board; the search for an executive director will begin.