As we head into the holiday season, I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your continued dedication and hard work. This time of year is meant for reconnecting with family and friends, but I know the “busyness” of it all can sometimes feel overwhelming. I also recognize that the holidays can be a difficult time for those who have lost loved ones or may not have a strong network to lean on. I encourage you to find balance between your personal well-being and the commitments that come with the season—and to take a moment to reflect on what you’re most thankful for.

Open Enrollment Begins Soon

Open Enrollment for 2026 insurance elections begins November 10 and runs through November 23. This is your annual opportunity to review your benefit options, make any necessary changes, and ensure your selections best meet your needs and those of your family. HR has shared and will continue to share information regarding benefit elections for this year. I encourage you to reach out them and schedule time to make sure you’re confident in selecting the right plan options. Please be sure to complete your elections before the deadline.

Capital Budget Requests – Thank You

I also want to extend my sincere appreciation to everyone involved in preparing capital project and equipment budget requests. Your thoughtful planning and collaboration are critical to the City’s long-term financial success. These efforts help ensure we continue to invest wisely in the infrastructure, tools, and resources that support City services and the Lake Forest community.

Holiday Season & Celebration

I also look forward to celebrating the holidays – and all our accomplishments in 2025 – at the City’s Holiday and Employee Recognition Dinner on Friday, December 12 at Chevy Chase Country Club. Please remember to RSVP via the invitation sent in the mail.

Thank you again for all that you do and best wishes this holiday season.

Warm regards,

Jason

Open enrollment begins next week! Have you reviewed your current benefit elections? Are you wondering if you should switch insurance plans? Or are you keeping things status-quo? Discussing these questions with your family and finding time to connect with HR will help you make the best decision for you in 2026.

Slightly different this year, the City is leveraging Plan Source for employees to make their own insurance elections during Open Enrollment. This allows HR to meet with more employees and respond to questions more quickly. Employees will receive their login information next week via email.

To help decide with benefit elections, start by reviewing these three documents:

Open Enrollment Lunch and Learn Presentation: provides an overview of all benefit plans, defines terms/acronyms, and shows examples of claim processing.
City of Lake Forest – IPBC – Benefit Summary: summarizes the dental, vision, and medical insurance plans. The medical insurance plans can be easily compared in terms of annual deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and prescription drug coverage.
2026 Insurance Premiums: compares insurance premiums for all plans between 2025 and 2026.

Cris Ortiz Vivas

Program Manager

Cris joins the Lake Forest team as the Sailing Program Manager. She has a degree in Clinical Nutrition and a certificate in Sports Nutrition.

Cris was born and raised in Mexico and was surrounded by sailing her whole life. She is passionate about nature and the outdoors. She enjoys photography and playing the guitar.

Hunter Valach

Police Officer

Hunter joins the Lake Forest team as a Police Officer. He attended Purdue Global University in 2022. Hunter served in the Army as a Military Police Officer from 2018 to 2025 and was stationed in Hawaii and Louisiana. Hunter was awarded the order of the Marchaussee in Steel for exceptional service and contributions to the MP Corps.

He enjoys hiking, fishing, and hunting, and is a fan of the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs.

Growing Families

Catherine and Jacob Lawniczak (CROYA)

Malcolm Thomas 10/27

Madison and Sean Polster (Police)

Sean Michael 10/30

NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS

HMO Buzz

HMO Promotional Video

IPBC produced a new promotional video to highlight the benefits of utilizing an HMO. You can view this video here.

Delta Dental Buzz

Enhanced Benefits Program

Delta Dental of Illinois is now offering expanded dental coverage specifically designed to support individuals with disabilities through the Enhanced Benefits Program. To further eliminate barriers to care, the Enhanced Benefits Program now includes coverage for general anesthesia, sedation and other medications and behavior management treatments often necessary to accommodate individuals with disabilities, which includes individuals with physical, medical, developmental, and cognitive needs. This includes autism, Alzheimer's disease, Down syndrome, spinal cord injuries, and other conditions requiring modifications.

Employees and covered dependents who qualify can self-enroll on the member portal at deltadentalil.com.

WEX Buzz

FSA Use-or-Lose Rule Reminder

FSA funds must be spent by end of the plan year or employees may lose the funds in the account. The carryover amount from 2025 to 2026 will $680.

HRA Countdown on WEX profiles

If you have an HRA account on WEX, you may see a countdown showing “XX day(s) left to spend funds” (see image below).

Please note this refers only to the calendar year—your funds will roll over annually until the account is depleted.

If you change BCBS plans for 2026, there will be a transition period before the HRA account aligns with your new plan.