Lake County treasurer turns over remainder of decades-old unclaimed surplus after 40-year review

Lake County Treasurer Mike Zarin told the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that his office has completed a multi‑year review of a long‑running unclaimed surplus account and is turning the remainder of the account over to the commissioners for use by the county.

Zarin said staff researched records back to 1983 to locate duplicate tax payments and refund taxpayers. "We researched back a good 40 plus years," he said, and added that the office changed its policy so that duplicate payments are refunded immediately going forward rather than requiring taxpayers to file a claim form.

The treasurer said about 17,000 Lake County residents received a credit or check during the first three years of his tenure. He gave one example of a homeowner who had roughly $8,000 held in the account dating to a 1983 closing; Zarin said he delivered the refund in person.

The commission approved a resolution authorizing the transfer of the unclaimed surplus account to the Lake County general fund. Commissioners recorded their votes on the resolution during roll call; the clerk recorded affirmative votes from Commissioner Plecnik, Commissioner Beveridge and Commissioner Rekovich.

Commissioners and staff emphasized the administrative changes meant to prevent future accumulation of duplicate payments. Zarin said his office now attempts to detect and refund duplicates at the time they occur. Commissioners thanked Zarin and his staff, and singled out Sally Nolan for leading the multi‑year effort.

The resolution and Zarin's presentation do not specify the total dollar amount remaining that was transferred to the general fund; the treasurer described the transfer as "the remainder of the account" after refunds to identifiable taxpayers. The board did not specify a timeline for how the commissioners will allocate those funds.

The county clerk read the formal roll call for the resolution and recorded the three affirmative votes; the transcript does not show any dissenting votes or abstentions on this item.