Cook County Has a New Flag

​Cook County Board of Commissioners Committee and Board Meetings 
June 15, 16, 2022

Rules Committee June 15, 2022

• The Department of Human Rights & Ethics proposed changes  to the Cook County Board of Ethics Procedural Rules to align with the December 2021 amendments to Code of Ordinances (Item 22-3150)
• Sisavanh Baker explained the changes to the rules and regulations. Commissioners were concerned with two changes to the rules.  The first was to ensure that Commissioner were not subject to the  20-hour limitation of outside employment because they are part-time positions.   The other was the wording on how to handle reporting  campaign contributions that exceed the prescribed limit.   It was decided that the item would be deferred to next month and Ms. Baker would work with the Commissioners to clarify those two points. (Item 22-3155)

Technology Committee June 15, 2022

• Approval of the extension of the Tyler contract. This system is the comprehensive tax processing system that includes the Assessor, Board of Review, County Clerk, and County Treasurer functions. The implementation is several months behind and the August tax bills will be delayed. The extension was recommended for approval in the Technology Committee and approved by the full Board  with no discussion from the Commissioners. This renewal is the first of three optional 3-year renewal periods.
• The County will take advantage of several negotiated concessions including additional resources across various areas of the project, updated Deliverables Payment Schedule including Hold Backs. Three (3) years of Assessment Connect and Open Connect cloud-based services at no additional cost. Scope items that were originally contested by Tyler, have been included in the solution at no additional costs. Lastly, a 5-year freeze on Software Support and Maintenance payment increases.
• This contract is a collaboration between the Assessor, Clerk, Treasurer offices with the Bureau of Technology to leverage a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) centralized property tax solution.  (Item 22-2917)

Board Meeting of the Cook County Commissioners
June 16,2022

​American Rescue Plan Act Funds

• The Commissioners approved several grants from the funds in various categories. There were descriptions of the programs but no information on how the programs will be monitored and evaluated.  The only discussion was when Commissioner Sean Morrison  commented that each grant should also have a plan to measure the outcomes of the programs and to report on them.
• One example was Item 22-3550 that awarded several grants via the Justice Advisory Council.  The resolution did include this paragraph: “BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Cook County Board of Commissioners recognizes that time is of the essence and authorizes Executive Director Avik Das and the Justice Advisory Council to negotiate and enter into the various agreements that outlines the specific metric and impact data, and compliance with all ARPA reporting and monitoring requirements with the Subrecipients listed above to implement the programs.”

County Officials Salary Increases

• The Resolution to have the Cook County Bureau of Human Resources  commission an independent Compensation and Market Survey every 4 years to determine if the current compensation of the  elected officials is in line with similarly situated positions nationwide or if increases are warranted was referred to the Finance Committee. (Item 22-4009)

Cook County Health

• Dr. LaMar Hasbrouch was approved as the Chief Operation Officer of the Cook County Department of Public Health. (Item 22-3342)
• A hearing was requested on the problems with short-term and long-term nursing home availability in Cook County.  Referred to the Health and Hospital Committee. (Item 22-4009) 

Climate

• The resolution to create a special fund to ensure that 40% of any Federal assistance for climate issues and clean energy  goes to disadvantaged areas of Cook County was referred to the Finance Committee.  (Item 22-3910)

Criminal Justice

• The resolution to request a hearing in the Cook County Criminal Justice Committee to discuss the annual report of the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board on  youth  re-entry from detention in Cook County was referred the Criminal Justice Committee.  (Item22-3546)

New Flag  for Cook County
The Board of Commissioners  congratulated Drew Duffy and Martin Burciaga, the winning student and design mentor, on his design of the new flag. (Item 22-3341). Duffy's winning design features six red stars and a sideways “Y” in green and blue on a white background. The stars have seven points to represent the regions of the county, the city of Chicago and the forest preserves, and they are in red to signal social change. ​​


Observer - Kathi Graffam ​

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