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Lake County highlights LACECOM, net-zero —The Rock— and $150M-plus infrastructure slate in 2025 annual report
Summary
County staff presented the 2025 annual report Dec. 9, highlighting the opening of LACECOM, the county's first net-zero building ("The Rock"), more than $150 million in infrastructure projects, housing coalition work and fully committed ARPA funds.
Patrice, a county staff member, presented Lake County's 2025 annual report to the board on Dec. 9, outlining the year's major accomplishments and near-term priorities. The report emphasized improvements to emergency communications, energy efficiency and a slate of infrastructure projects funded without raising property taxes.
The report described the July opening of a regional operations and communications facility and the October'November consolidation of 9-1-1 and public-safety communications for 30 law-enforcement and fire/EMS agencies into a new center called LACECOM. "The consolidation, the largest of its kind in Illinois," Patrice said, "will improve coordination, reduce call transfers and improve response times." The presentation credited federal funding, ARPA dollars and bonding for the project.
The report also highlighted "The Rock," Lake County's first net-zero building, which the county said is powered by roughly 1,900 solar panels and uses a geothermal system of 56 wells drilled about 400 feet. Patrice said the building was designed with bird-friendly materials and was paid for with a mix of grants, ARPA funds and county bonds structured to avoid increasing property tax bills.
Officials listed more than $150 million in county infrastructure work in 2025, including the White Deer Run Reservoir, Sylvan Lake Dam reconstruction and the Darrell Road roundabouts. The presentation cited a Lake County Partners report that the county attracted about $633 million in direct investment in 2025, and said workforce efforts helped create job opportunities.
The report outlined housing initiatives, including a newly formed Lake County Housing Coalition ("Housing Lake") and a housing summit scheduled for February 2026. The county said it has fully committed $135,200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds across 89 projects and expects to spend all ARPA allocations by 2026.
The annual report is available on the county website; Patrice told the board the booklet is a snapshot and that more detail is available on the county's strategic-plan page. The presentation closed by thanking staff and partners and by identifying the housing summit and continued infrastructure and public-safety work as next steps for 2026.
