Cook County Board Observer Reports

President Preckwinkle Presents Proposed $8.04B FY2022 Budget to Cook County Board with No Tax or Fee Increases

10/19/2021

Special Meeting of the Cook County Board followed by
Finance Committee Meeting
October 7, 2021

President’s Comments to the Board

The proposed $8.04 B budget is composed of Operating Funds totaling $6.54 B (including $1.98 B for the General Fund and $3.94 B for the Health Enterprise Fund), plus Capital Costs and Grants.
This proposed budget contains NO NEW TAXES AND NO FEE INCREASES.
The President, a former history teacher, began the meeting by giving everyone a homework assignment: GET VACCINATED! You can save someone’s life, including your own, she said. The pandemic impacts this budget and use of County residents’ tax dollars.
The County is getting almost $1 billion from the Federal government under the American Rescue Plan, with 1/3 proposed to be used for each of 2022, 2023 and 2024. $100 million of the $333 million in this year’s budget will be used to cover expected lost revenues due to COVID, the costs of administering the money, and some capital projects that would otherwise have been funded by debt. The remaining $233 million will be used for community program initiatives. The proposed budget does not contain a listing of all the projects because the County is seeking community input. Instead, the President has said that proposals for using this money will be brought to the Board over the course of the year for approval. The County has created a special purpose fund, the Cook County Equity Fund, for keeping track of all the expenditures.
The President highlighted the $2 B in extra pension fund payments the County has made over the last 6 years. This year’s proposal is for an extra $325 M. As a result, the County is on track to fully fund its pension fund by 2046.
The proposed budget can be viewed HERE

Finance Committee’s Proposed Meeting Schedule regarding the Proposed Budget
Schedule is subject to change. Check HERE, for up-to-date information.
All meetings are virtual and can be viewed HERE

Thursday, Oct. 21: Public hearings at 10 am and 6:30 pm for people to provide comments on the budget.
Monday, Oct. 25: Starting at 9 am, the Committee will hear an overview of the proposed budget, followed by meetings to discuss the budgets of the Offices of the President, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, the Secretary to the Board (which will include the Commissioners’ budgets), the Public Administrator, the Office of the Independent Inspector General, the Treasurer, and the Assessor
Tuesday, Oct. 26: Starting at 9 am, meetings to discuss the budgets of Cook County Health, the Public Defender, County Clerk, Clerk of the Court, and Board of Review.
Wednesday, Oct. 27: Starting at 9 am, meetings to discuss the budgets of the State’s Attorney, Sheriff, Chief Judge, and Land Bank
Thursday, Oct. 28: Starting at 10 am, meetings to discuss the Capital Budget and the American Rescue Plan budget.

Priscilla Mims, League Observer

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Update on Actions to Improve Court Access for Victims of Domestic Abuse Provided to Cook County Board

10/18/2021

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Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting
Oct 7, 2021

Attendance: 16 Commissioners present led by President Preckwinkle and Commissioner Sims

Meeting Highlights:

Agenda Item 21-5492 Proposed resolution requesting an update on actions to improve access to justice for victims of domestic violence. Passed Kate Nolan, staff attorney in the Chief Judge office, reported on the steps being taken to ensure victims of domestic abuse have access to the court system in order to obtain an order of protection. The court is working with the Clerk of the Court, the Sheriff, and other stakeholders to set up 24/7 access. The target date is November 8. A judge will be on call after standard court hours. A remote hearing will be set up. A person could access the hearing via a phone call. If a person calls the Illinois Domestic Abuse Hotline, a facilitator would be available to help with a petition for an order of protection. Judge Evans is also re-establishing the Domestic Violence Court Committee to improve the process in the domestic violence courts. The committee will include judges, a representative from the president’s office, the Clerk of the Court, the Sheriff, and advocates. Ms. Nolan will be on the committee and will be the point person for the Commissioners. She will report back periodically. The committee will address access to the courts, ease of use of the website, and availability of interpreters. Each court will have a coordinator to help the petitioner in the process.
Agenda Item 21-5542 Proposed Resolution to create a special purpose fund for equity and inclusion projects. Passed It seeds nearly $100 million to be allocated through November 2022 to address historical disparities and disinvestment in Black and Latinx communities as well as other communities that are marginalized or have experienced other social and economic disparities.

Observed by: Kathi Graffam Meeting Length - 3 hours

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Resolution to Review Compensation of Elected Officials Approved by Cook County Board Finance Committee

10/18/2021

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Committee Meetings of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
Oct 5 & 6, 2021

Note: all items listed below as being approved by a Committee do not become effective until the Board approves them at the Board meeting held on October 7.

October 5 Meeting Highlights:

Health and Hospitals Committee

Agenda Item 21-0541 CCH and Public Health Dept update on Covid. Deferred Cook County Health (CCH) established a mandate for employee vaccination or weekly testing. As of Oct 1, 83% of the employees are fully vaccinated and 92% had one dose.
21-5290 Resolution declaring mental health a public health crisis. Passed Commissioners Amaya, Degnen, and Kevin Morrison said their constituents want more money spent on mental health services. Commissioner Miller said American Rescue Plan Act funds should be spent on improving these services. Commissioner Daley said that there needs to be coordination with other existing services including private hospitals.

Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee

21-5410 Ordinance to codify the existence, duties and appointments for the Commission on Women’s Issues. Passed The Commission was formed in 1995 by resolution. The purpose of this action was to put it into the County ordinances.
21-0565 Proposed resolution to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day and Reconciliation Day Deferred There were several public speakers in favor and against the proposed resolution. One point often raised by the public speakers and the Commissioners was though it is important to recognize the wrongs done to Indigenous People, there was no reason to take away a day that honors the contributions of the Italian Americans. The State of Illinois has named the last Monday of September as Indigenous Peoples Day. Several Commissioners thanked Commissioner Johnson for initiating the process and resulting difficult conversations that were illuminating.

October 6 Meeting Highlights

Finance Committee

21-5258 Calling for a review and recommendation regarding elected officials’ compensation. Passed. Comm. Suffredin proposed to initiate a process to engage an economist and an outside compensation consultant to review the compensation of Cook County officials and compare it to other counties. The last review was in 2000. The committee would prepare a report on the comparison and recommend salaries to the Commissioners. The report would be prepared by February of 2022. The Commissioners would then decide if any action was needed. Any such increase would be effective in the next fiscal year in 2023 after the election for the offices. The Clerk of the Court would be excepted since it isn’t up for election until Nov. 2024.
21-4303 Proposed amendment to the Procurement Code. Deferred to Nov Mtg. It would require that the Chief Procurement Officer shall make every effort to have at least one woman and one African American or Hispanic on any evaluation committee for an RFQ or RFP.
21-4102 Approval of Unarmed Security Contract for the Juvenile Detention Center (JDT) Passed 11 Aye 4 present Commissioner Sean Morrison No Leonard Dixon of the JDT reported that supplemental guards were needed at the facility because they are currently experiencing a 23% absentee rate. He is recommending a three-year contract with Monterrey Security Consultants to provide 22 officers. The JDT has 400 FTEs in security staff and currently 100 vacancies. The standard absence had been 10-15%. The vacancies are due to COVID, retirement, FMLA, injuries, and difficulty in hiring. The JDT brought in a psychologist to help the staff with the stress of the job. He anticipates that it will take them 3 years to rebuild to full staff. The JDT can have an average of 200 detainees. Comm. Sean Morrison had previously asked to see the contracts and supporting documents and had not received them. He was concerned that the vendor could commit to handling all the requirements. Comm. Daley asked for a follow up report on how the JDT was reducing the absentee rate.

Technology Committee

21-5079 Chief Technology Officer’s major project report. Deferred to the November meeting
The Clerk of Court technology officer reported that they were making progress on the Odyssey system, that allows electronic access to court documents and dates. Initially, Judge Evans delayed the Court from implementing the system. He has since given approval for Phase 1 and 2 to be implemented. The traffic court is in the last phase and will be implemented by the end of the year.
The completion of the Integrated Tax Processing System will be delayed until September of 2024. Comm. Sean Morrison referred to a letter that all the Commissioners received from Treasurer Pappas with concerns about the project. The vendor is Tyler Information Systems and they were originally contracted in 2015 with a completion date of 2019. The contract was performance based and Tyler has not been paid for implementation projects since 2017 although the implementation is continuing. They are also contracted for ongoing licensing and maintenance of the system. Comm. Sean Morrison said Tyler’s performance is disappointing. Comm. Kevin Morrison said he may call a special meeting to address the issues. Since it is a contract issue, the committee would have to meet in executive session.

Observed by: Kathi Graffam Time: 7 hours total

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Redistricting Committee of Cook County Board Approves New Commissioner District Map

9/29/2021

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Cook County Board of Commissioners
Committee Meetings - September 20 to 22, 2021

Note: all items listed below as being approved by a Committee do not become effective until the Board approves them at the Board meeting to be held on September 23.

Highlights of Meetings:

2020 Redistricting Committee (September 22):

The Committee approved the proposed map of Commissioner districts reflecting the 2020 Census numbers, which included a few minor changes made by the outside consultant from that which had been the subject of a public hearing on September 14. At that meeting no one from the public appeared or objected to the map. Item 21-5299.
Also approved was the proposed ordinance enacting the map. One of the provisions of the ordinance makes clear that the existing Commissioners represent those who live in the existing districts, and that the new districts will be used for the 2022 elections and thereafter.
The League of Women Voters of Cook County submitted a letter for the Board meeting on Sept. 23 expressing its concerns about the redistricting process. At the request of Comm. Miller, the letter was read aloud for the record of this Committee meeting. Among other things, the League reiterated its position that an independent commission should draw districts, rather than government officials who have a vested interest in the outcome. The League also urged that for the next redistricting in 10 years, the process begin with a blank slate, rather than starting from then existing districts, in order to better reflect communities of interest and the significant changes in population distribution in the County.

Finance Committee (September 22):

The Comptroller reported that the General Fund has a favorable balance of $155 M over budget as a result of both higher revenues and lower expenses. The Health Fund has an unfavorable balance of ($45 M) with higher than budgeted revenues of $175 M, but higher expenses of $220 M. However, the Health Fund is also owed $117 M from the State.
Andrea Gibson, who had been serving as interim Chief Business Officer and is newly appointed as the Chief Strategy Officer for Cook County Health, introduced the new Chief Financial Officer for Cook County Health.

Rules Committee (September 22):

Approved a proposed amendment to the Board’s Rules to allow individual Commissioners to participate in a meeting remotely. Item 21-4422.
Approved a proposed ordinance amendment to require that rules and regulations issued by county departments, agencies, and offices (“public facing rules”) be approved by the Rules Committee and then the Board. Currently, while the Rules Committee reviews such public facing rules and can request changes, technically no approval is given and the Board simply “receives and files” such rules. Item 21-4423.

Health & Hospitals Committee (September 20 Public Hearing):

The Committee received quarterly reports and heard short presentations from the following regarding the services provided for mental health: Chief Judge, Cook County Health, Cook County Public Health, Cermak Health (for inmates of the County Jail), the Sheriff, and the State’s Attorney. Follow-up will be done as to the reports due from Veterans’ Assistance and the Public Defender.
To see the reports. look HERE under “Meeting Details”

Health & Hospitals Committee (September 21):

Dr. Fagin stated that all Cook County Health (CCH) staff and all contractors who are on CCH facilities must be vaccinated for COVID by October 1. As of August 23, everyone must wear masks indoors.
As of Sept. 10, 65% of suburban Cook County residents have received at least one Covid shot and 53% are fully vaccinated.
Kudos were given by Commissioners for the new commercials that CCH is airing encouraging people to get vaccinated.

Observer - Priscilla Mims

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Cook County Board Resumes Meeting In Person

8/12/2021

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Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting
July 29, 2021

Board Action of Note:

Agenda Item 21-4358 Proposed appt. of Antara Nath Rivera to 4 yr. term on Board of Ethics. Moved to Legislation Committee
Agenda Item 21-4363. No late penalties for second installment of property taxes until after Oct. 2, 20201 due to delay in sending out bill. Received and filed.
Agenda Item 21-4303. Proposed amendment to the Procurement ordinance to require Chief Procurement Office (CPO) to make every effort to make a selection committee as diverse as possible. Referred to Finance Committee.
Agenda Item 21-4355 2nd Quarter Report from Inspector General. Received and filed.
Agenda Item 21-2488. Proposed Intergovernmental Agreement between Sheriff and Maine Twp to provide police car and off-duty police police officer for Wed. Through Sun. from 8pm to 1 am. Terms indicate this is at no cost to county. Discussion centered around liability to Cook County in such agreements. Sheriff’s representative stated they could have dialogue about it. Commissioner Sylvestri stated this has come up before, two meetings in a row and that answers are still needed. Commissioner Sean Morrisson stated it is common to ask for certificates of insurance in the high school townships with which he is familiar.

Other items of Interest:

Matters proceeded smoothly overall.
Public speakers held importance at this meeting. This portion lasted about one hour. One speaker was a representative from CAWC (Connections for Abused Women and Children. She is on the CC Women’s Commission. She stated a concern reported to have occurred yesterday that a woman arrived with her 3 children to Domestic Violence Court on Harrison and was prevented from entering the building. She was told they were closed. She was there for an Emergency Order of Protection. The CAWC representative stated the Court hours end at 1pm. Remote access and hybrid services are set to close August 16. Shelters are full so need has not decreased. Com. Daley stated that representatives from the Chief Judge’s Office and Circuit Court Clerk were needed to be called immediately to answer the many questions regarding this. A representative stated the Sheriff’s Office had no record of anyone being turned away. He was not sure if there are emergency judges available. There was further discussion later in the meeting when representatives became available. Commissioners expect 3 specific questions which they stated to be answered next week by Chief Judge’s office.
Agenda Item 21-4388 was a report filed by Cook County Commission on Women’s Issues that was received and filed today. The report was. Recommendations: Protections for Survivors of Gender based violence.
Matt DeLeon is retiring as Cook County Secretary to the Board where he served for 28 years. He will become County Historian; Cook County will have its bicentennial in 2031. Commissioners expressed their respect and gratitude for Mr. DeLeon’s significant contributions to more effective, transparent operations for the Board. There were statements of gratitude from Board members and a resolution passed honoring Mr. DeLeon .

Observer - Carolyn Cosentino Meeting Length: 4 hr 13 min

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Final Day of Cook County Board Mid-Year Budget Hearings

8/3/2021

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Cook County Board Finance Committee Mid-year Budget Hearings
July 21, 2021
Presentations by the Clerk of the Court, the Chief Judge, Independent Inspector General and Cook County Sheriff

Commissioner Daley has asked all Elected officials presenting their mid-year budget information to also state what their office/department has learned from the COVID experience over the last year.

Clerk of the Court - Iris Martinez

Martinez’ main goal is to do a “comprehensive review of the whole operation” and make changes necessary for more efficiency and transparency. She wants to “re-establish trust in the office.”
Two areas of concern are to complete the transition to the Odyssey Case Management System and to comply with any Shakman hiring issues. By the end of October, 2021, the case management system transition should be completed and should be certified by the Illinois Supreme Court by January, 2022. This will provide better access by the public and attorneys. Hiring will be more transparent in accordance with any Shakman requirements. Currently 218 more staff (mostly clerks) will be hired in two large groups. The office will still be understaffed according to the Chief of Staff.
Some general improvements to come are website improvement, easier access for Domestic Violence victims to get court orders, call center improvements including the calling of defendants to remind them of court dates.
“Goals” include more e-filings by attorneys (2,200,000) and an increase in the number of cases filed (495,000). Revenue is 10% higher than expected and expenditures are almost 9% lower than expected. Much of this has to do with COVID shutdowns of courts and also more efficiency in operations. Cost savings is a priority for Clerk of the Court Martinez. More can be done using technology rather than in-person—learned from last year’s experience.

Chief Judge - Tim Evans
Some details from the Chief Judge regarding the current budget year:

there is a 2% reduction ($5 million) in this year’s budget mostly due to COVID closures— under budget for hiring and contracts
no jury trials have been held during COVID except for emergencies
currently there are 76 courtrooms set up for jury trials and 10 for bench trials. 3 ft. social distancing will occur for jury trials (should start in October)
the AOIC (Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts) is giving $61 million to the courts—from COVID money at the federal level
unusual expenses were for Zoom licenses (400) used for hearings
during the past year, 128,00 “matters” were settled even though courtrooms were basically closed. This includes 13,000 guilty pleas and bench trials.

Lessons learned from COVID experience:

in-person court appearances are not needed for discovery, some hearings; but in-person is required for any situations where “freedom is in jeopardy”

Commissioner Comments:

Comm. Daley asked about the speedy trial requirement return and how many defendants are waiting. Also the number of defendants on EM or bail that have recommitted serious offenses. This was unclearly explained by Evans, however the gist was that there is “no proof” that the released do more crime. He indicated that all the information is on his website dashboard. This is cookcountycourt.org. Later on it was mentioned that Preckwinkle’s office has a group interviewing Evans, Sheriff Dart, and others to evaluate the EM program. A report should be released soon.
Comm. Aguilar contradicted Evans “data” on crimes committed by released defendants and said his community was worried about crime. Evans replied that all are presumed innocent until convicted. Aguilar also stated that child support is not being enforced.
Comm. Johnson was concerned about “isolation” use as a punishment for misbehavior at the JTDC (Juvenile Temporary Detention Center).
Comm. Lowry asked whether the elimination of cash bail will increase court budget/costs. No clear answer from Evans.
Comm. Degnan advocated for virtual meetings for domestic violence situations. This reduces trauma, time, etc. for women asking for court orders.
Comm. Miller asked about restorative justice courts in the south suburbs. These will be added soon. She also asked for data on Veterans and other specialty courts and indicated that many veterans don't know about these specialty courts.
Comm. S. Morrison questioned the $7 million increase in the budget. Evans indicated this was needed for Zoom room personnel and other jury services. Evans office currently has 2,550 FTEs and 599 vacancies. Evans desires a hybrid system using Zoom and in-person in the future.
Also asked was what the process is for deciding who gets out on bail, no-bail, or EM (Electronic Monitoring). Evans said “mitigating circumstances”—presumption of innocence, proof not evident, no clear and present threat, no lengthy criminal record, self-defense, vulnerable to COVID are all reasons someone could be released even though they are accused of a violent or gun crime. Stated that 1,287 defendants are in jail for murder and less than 100 murder defendants are out on EM.
The issue of mental illness was brought up with regard to so many defendants needing mental health services. Morrison advocated that this issue be addressed by the State of Illinois.

Independent Inspector General - Patrick Blanchard

The office has filled 5 open slots (including promoting 1) and has just 1 unfilled position of the Deputy Inspector General
Comm. Anaya asked whether the result is improved turn-around time for cases. IG Blanchard said “yes.” He reminded the Commissioners that his office has a triage system for determining which potential cases are the most important and which ones have sufficient evidence to warrant going forward. Last year there were 800 contacts made to his office, and the office also can and does open cases on its own.
The IG was asked about appeals from the cases included in his quarterly reports. The IG explained that the office only has the authority to make recommendations to an official or department. So if someone disagrees with the implementation of the recommendations of the IG, the person needs to contact the applicable department or official.

The Office of the Cook County Sheriff - Deputy Sheriff

The office began with a presentation on the past and current status of COVID cases within the County Jail, which the office believes has been wrongly depicted as a “hot spot.” In the Spring of 2020, there were 307 cases, which was 6.9% of the total Jail population, compared to much higher percentages in the general population. Similarly, the highest number of cases was on December 13, 2020, with 375 inmates testing positive, or 6.8% of the Jail population. As of July 21, 2021, the 7-day average was only 0.2%, or only 2 positive cases. And these two inmates entered the Jail with COVID.
Currently, 55% of the Sheriff’s employees are vaccinated, despite many efforts to incentivize the staff to get vaccinated. 61% of the eligible detainees are vaccinated currently. There is frequent testing of the non-vaccinated.
The office expects to remain within the 2021 budget, thanks to the funds that came from the Federal government last year and this year.
752 detainees have been convicted and should be in the State prison system. Of these, 394 are eligible for parole hearings, and the Sheriff wants those to take place. Comm. Daley asked about the dollar amount owed by the State to the County for housing these inmates that have been convicted. The Sheriff’s Deputy said that the State wants to establish a rate of $50 to $70 per day, but the Sheriff says it has to meet with the County’s Budget Dept. to establish the appropriate rate.
The Sheriff’s employees are exhausted from the past year and a half. It has been difficult to keep up with attrition through new hires. The Deputy Sheriff emphasized the large number of positions that have been reduced over the years and more positions are needed, including more monitors for those released on electronic monitoring. The office is working with the University of Chicago to identify ways to better manage the electronic monitoring.
Comm. Britton said he would like to expand training within the Jail so people can connect to jobs upon release. The Commissioner identified a large impediment to that is the issue of transportation from Chicago to the suburbs where some of these jobs are, particularly in the food industry.
Comm. Johnson asked about whether there are metrics for evaluating policing efforts, particularly the Sheriff’s partnering with Chicago on drug trafficking. The Deputy explained that the Sheriff had an internal research office that does such evaluations and there are weekly reports.
Comm. Silvestri asked about what long-term costs might be expected. The Deputy Sheriff explained that being able to open shuttered Jail buildings was critical for providing separate spaces for prisoners during this pandemic. The office was very complimentary of the Asset Management Bureau for quickly repairing and bringing these shuttered buildings up to code so they could be used. The Office said that having that capability to reopen buildings could be a continuing need.
Comm. Anaya asked whether there is any evaluation of the effectiveness of electronic monitoring. The answer was that Urban Labs is finishing up just such an evaluation, which report should be ready shortly.
Comm. Anaya and Moore brought up the mental health facility in Roseland that was established in 2017 as an alternative to incarceration in the Jail. Comm. Moore urged that the County look to establish similar programs in Chicago.

Observers - Karin Hribar and Priscilla Mims

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President Preckwinkle Presents Proposed $8.04B FY2022 Budget to Cook County Board with No Tax or Fee Increases

Update on Actions to Improve Court Access for Victims of Domestic Abuse Provided to Cook County Board

Resolution to Review Compensation of Elected Officials Approved by Cook County Board Finance Committee

Redistricting Committee of Cook County Board Approves New Commissioner District Map

Cook County Board Resumes Meeting In Person

Final Day of Cook County Board Mid-Year Budget Hearings

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