Lake County commits Monsanto funds to impacted municipalities: ‘A successful future for those communities’
Lake County has promised much of its portion of Monsanto settlement funds to projects in communities impacted by the industrial pollution in the Lake Michigan watershed, after the $7.5 million has sat largely untouched for several years.
The new guidelines, approved during a County Board meeting earlier this month, focus the funds on projects in municipalities that border on Lake Michigan, with no less than 75% of the funds to be allocated to projects in Waukegan, North Chicago, Zion, Beach Park or Winthrop Harbor, “in recognition of documented environmental injustice and disproportionate burdens borne by these communities,” county documents said.
Included in the guidelines is a list of “guiding principles,” several of which emphasize environmentalism and equity goals for projects. Proposals will go through a scoring rubric before being presented to the board, Deputy County Administrator Matt Meyers said.
The funds will not be applied for through a grant application process, he said, instead describing it as “tools in our toolbox” for economic development. Board members want “groundbreaking” projects that have tangible impacts, Meyers said.
Lake County had received the money in April 2023 from the City of Long Beach v. Monsanto class action settlement. That lawsuit had alleged the company polluted Lake Michigan with PCBs, documents said. The settlement funds are not legally restricted, giving the county a somewhat unusually long leash to use the money as it sees fit.
Board Chair Sandy Hart said the county had avoided putting the settlement money into its general fund, feeling it was important to put it “back into the communities that were hit the hardest.”
“If we can try to make a difference in giving money on important projects that will help solidify a successful future for those communities, I think it will be money well spent,” Hart said.
Meyer said the funds had remained on the back burner while the county handled hundreds of millions in federal funding from COVID-era dollars. Prior to drafting the guidelines, $2 million had been reserved for the potential Solarge facility in Waukegan, although if the project doesn’t require the funds, or if the board chooses to commit the money elsewhere, the reservation is void, Meyer said.
During the committee drafting process for the guidelines, there was some debate over what municipalities should be included, and what proportion of the funds should be committed to those lakefront communities, with an initial draft putting a 50% requirement for just Waukegan and North Chicago.
After some back and forth between board members — including member Gina Roberts, who called for a 100% requirement and the addition of more lakefront municipalities like Winthrop Harbor — the percentage was settled on 75% and expanded to more communities along the lakefront.
According to County Administrator Patrice Sutton, such settlement funds are a rare occurrence. While the county has also received funds from an opioid settlement, these were “the exception rather than the rule.”
jstates@chicagotribune.com