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Special recognition of Martin Paulson for his years of service to Lake County.
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SPECIAL RECOGNITION
WHEREAS, Martin Paulson has devoted his career to Lake County with more than 28 years of service in various roles from volunteer director at the Lake County Health Department to a staff member for the Chief County Assessment Office and the Lake County Clerk’s Office; and
WHEREAS, Martin Paulson was Chief Deputy for the Lake County Clerk’s Office from 1995-1997, where he then went to the Chief County Assessment Office. Martin Paulson was appointed as Chief County Assessment Officer in 2003, where he also served as Chief Clerk for the Lake County Board of Review, with honorable service in this position through the announcement of his retirement in May 2019; and
WHEREAS, Martin Paulson graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration for Management in 1979, and continued on to get his M.B.A. in Finance and Master’s of Science in Public Service Management at DePaul University; and
WHEREAS, Martin Paulson has led the Chief County Assessment Office with professionalism and has established the department as innovative, transparent, and service orientated. With his guidance, Lake County has been a leader in the region for providing property-related information online to county residents for more than ten years; and
WHEREAS, Martin Paulson and his team are working tirelessly to implement a new Public Access Portal in partnership with the Lake County Clerk, Lake County Treasurer and Information Technology to further supply Lake County property owners with the information they need related to their properties. His office also implemented an E-filing service for assessment appeals, which is the only complete end-to-end application of its kind in Illinois, as well as E-filing for homestead exemptions with additional functionality and options coming soon; and
WHEREAS, Martin Paulson is committed to making sure property owners understand the tax assessment process, their options for appeal, and making them aware of any available exemptions they may qualify for. He initiated several taxpayer outreach services, connecting taxpayers to resources provided by his office or through township assessors, such as the successful Tax Assessment Help Centers; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of innovative transparency efforts, the Chief County Assessment Office received two NACo awards in 2010 and 2013; and
WHEREAS, in addition to his duties in the office, Martin Paulson has coordinated Lake County’s Taxation Advisory Group since 2004, served two terms as the Area 1 Chair for the County Assessor’s Association for northern Illinois and represented that association on the Illinois Department of Revenue’s Property Tax Advisory Committee, and was also appointed to a nine-member Property Tax Reform and Relief Tax Force in 2008-2010 by the Illinois General Assembly; and
WHEREAS, Martin Paulson has served on various boards and committees: four one-year terms as Board President of the Lake County Board of Health, Wastewater Ordinance Steering Committee, and Vice-Chair for the Lake County Community Health Center Board; and
WHEREAS, Martin Paulson has been an active member in the community by serving as a board member for the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County and a founding board member for Cristo Rey St. Martin’s College Prep, and he taught in the MBA program at North Park University for 11 years; and
WHEREAS, Martin Paulson is deeply committed to his family, and is looking forward to spending time in retirement with his wife Linda, his five children and eight grandchildren.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Lake County Board does hereby thank Martin Paulson for his outstanding devotion and contributions to Lake County communities and for his many years of service.
DATED at Waukegan, Illinois on April 9, 2019.