Northwest Municipal Conference

06/16/2026

Last Wednesday, Village of Buffalo Grove Eric Smith was inaugurated as the 2026-2027 Northwest Municipal Conference (NWMC) President. President Smith is the organization’s 68th President and the sixth from the Village of Buffalo Grove. Village of Mount Prospect Mayor Paul Hoefert was installed as Vice-President, with Village of Wilmette President Senta Plunkett and Village of Barrington Village Manager Scott Anderson installed as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively.

The inauguration took place at the NWMC’s Annual Gala at Independence Grove in Village of Libertyville, Illinois - Government. One hundred and seventy-eight members and guests celebrated the accomplishments of outgoing NWMC President and Libertyville Mayor Donna Johnson as well as the inauguration of President Smith.

Mayor Johnson thanked the Conference leadership team, membership and staff for their collective achievements over the past year, specifically noting creation of working groups to address the explosion in popularity of e-mobility devices and issues regarding housing supply. She also thanked members for coming together to create a dynamic new strategic plan that will guide the Conference for the next four years.

In his first remarks as NWMC President, President Smith thanked Mayor Johnson for her leadership over the past year and congratulated the new leadership team. He stated that “the Northwest Municipal Conference is an organization I’m proud to be part of. At its core, it represents something essential, the balance between collaboration and local control. This Conference connects us – so that when one of us faces a challenge, all of us benefit from shared experience, insight, and support. It’s government at its best: nonpartisan, practical and focused on the people we serve.”

We thank the following Gala Gold Level sponsors for their generous support and making the evening a tremendous success:
Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LLC; Comcast; ComEd; Trotter and Associates, Inc.; Wintrust Financial

Special thanks to the staff at Independence Grove and Relish Catering as well as the NWMC staff for their hard work in ensuring another successful Gala!

03/27/2026

03/27/2026

Return of Wrigley Field Express for 2026

Avoid high parking costs and frustrating traffic...ride Pace's Wrigley Field Express Service to Chicago Cubs weekend home games and weekend concerts from the Pace Northwest Transportation Center!

Pace is happy to announce the return of the Wrigley Field Express. This year Pace will be serving all weekend Cubs home games and weekend concerts at Wrigley Field for 2026.

Service begins Saturday, March 28.

For more information on when and where to take the Wrigley Field Express, visit: pacebus.com/wrigleyfield

03/27/2026

Baseball season is here and Pace is ready to take you out to the ball game! ⚾ Our Wrigley Field Express service is back for weekend games and concerts this season. Buses depart from Schaumburg and Hillside, offering a fast and convenient way to cheer on the Cubs. Visit pacebus.com/wrigleyfield for more info.

03/27/2026

As part of a pilot project, Pace is improving and expanding service on Route 213. Route 213 operates mainly along Green Bay Road between the CTA Howard Station in Chicago and the Metra UP-North Line Highland Park Station. On weekdays and Saturdays, the hours of service will be improved, and trips will be added to extend the availability of more frequent service throughout the day. The added service will enhance connections with numerous Pace and CTA bus routes, the Metra UP-North Line at multiple stations and with the CTA Red, Purple, and Yellow Lines.

A summary of the changes follows:

Weekdays:
- New trips added to extend the availability of more frequent service and improve the hours of service.
- Service will be available from 4:45AM to 12:11AM.
- Buses will run approximately every 15-60 minutes.
- Most trip times changed.

Saturday:
- New trips added to extend the availability of more frequent service and improve the hours of service.
- Service will be available from 5:05AM to 10:37PM.
- Buses will run approximately every 30-60 minutes.
- Most trip times changed.

Learn more at pace.com.

03/27/2026

Congratulations to Fox Lake for its RTA grant for planning implementation.

The Village of Fox Lake has recently been awarded a grant by the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) to begin implementation of the recently adopted Fox Lake Downtown Plan. We invite the Fox Lake community to take a brief Community Survey to share your thoughts on zoning and development in Downtown Fox Lake. The intent of this survey is to ensure that the Village's current work to recommend potential Zoning Code amendments reflect the preferences and perspectives of the local community.

You may find the survey and other project information at:
https://foxlakezoning.communitysquare.info

03/23/2026

Our transportation system will experience flooding and higher temperatures in the coming decades. But with smart investment now, we can make the system more resilient.

💡 CMAP's new Transportation Resilience Improvement Plan identifies where the system is vulnerable to extreme weather, and what we can do to make it more resilient.

From elevating bridges to creating wetlands, the plan lists more than 20 ways our region can increase resilience.

Learn more at https://cmap.illinois.gov/news-updates/transportation-resilience-improvement-plan/

03/23/2026

Managing congestion is much more than widening roads.

CMAP’s new Congestion Management Strategy Guidebook gives partners a practical toolbox of strategies, like better signal timing, transit improvements, and travel demand management. Together, we can improve mobility across northeastern Illinois.

Paired with a new corridor study template, communities and transportation agencies can evaluate and implement congestion solutions using a consistent, regionally aligned approach.

Put these new resources into action to move northeastern Illinois forward! Find links in the comments.

03/23/2026