Cook County Board of Commissioners Committee Meetings
September 18, 2024 

Finance Committee

• Meeting reconvened from July 31, 2024. Motion to Receive and File FY 2025 Preliminary Forecast Report Period 12/1/20203-11/30/2024 from Dept of Budget and Management Services was made by Com. Lowry and seconded by Com. Britton. Passed with unanimous aye vote.   Meeting Length: 41 Seconds.
• Finance Committee.  Motions were made by Com. Lowry and seconded by Com Britton for 2 resolutions addressing uses of ARPA funding. Both passed.  Healthy Community Program Initiative (24-2908) includes guidelines amending the subrecipient agreement with Il Public Health Institute to increase funding by $8M from current agreement. Also approved was Resolution to Authorize the Use of Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Special Purpose Fund to Support the Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program (24-4131). Com Trevor made the motion and Com Britton seconded the financial reports be received and filed from Comptroller and CCH. The 8-month Comptroller report (24-4901) showed a net favorable budget variance to the General Fund of $148.9M. The State Revenues Update through July 31, 2024, shows the state owes $139.5M to the County. Cook County Health CFO Pam Cassara reported $110M favorable balance for the first 8 months of 2024(24-4901) 
• The Health Fund showed a favorable net budget variance $76.3 M. 
• Meeting Length:  14 min.

Transportation Committee.

• Supt. Killen was present to explain all contracts and extensions to Transportation Commtt.  Supt. Killen provided an explanation for the proposed ALPR system. Resolution 24-4292 authorized the approval of Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) to permit installation on county roadways; it can identify make, color, and license plate information on vehicles to assist local law enforcement and Sheriff’s Office in crimes such as child endangerment and missing persons. Personal information is not included. State regulations exist regarding lawful use of images and information.          
• ​Meeting Length 13 min.

Observer: Carolyn Cosentino

Cook County Board Of Commissioners Committee Meetings
September 17, 2024

AUDIT COMMITTEE
Although not on the Asset Committee agenda, at its September 19 meeting, the board approved a Professional Consulting Service contract with Iron Mountain Information Management to develop a materials and records storage assessment, implementation plan, and digital files/digitization.  The contract is for $1.2 million and the duration 16 months until 1/31/26.
Auditor, Mary Modelski, reported that several items from the 1st quarter were closed and that during the second quarter progress is being made with the "employment reimbursement process" and with the Clerk of the Court "traffic citations".  She went into more detail on the recommendation to Consolidate the Grant RFP Process stating that a stakeholder process was established in August to work on centralizing the grant management system.                                                                                                     
#24-3722 - the ARPA Fixed site emergency shelter report for people experiencing homelessness.   Two hotels are in the process of being purchased to house the homeless.  ARPA monies were used to provide a 30-year loan which will come due in 2053.  The Audit Department recommended the monitoring process needs to be improved and defined for the long term.   Comm. Daley asked that the Audit Department add this specific ARPA project to its regular auditing schedule.  Currently, it does not follow up on ARPA grants
#24-3681 - The Audit Department conducted an audit of the Work Order System in the Facilities Management Custodial Services Section.  It specifically recommended that the work order system be defined:  what it is and what it covers or not. Three recommendations were made: Under policies and procedures, how staff is assigned; Under standards, spell what specifics to help with efficiency; and get better metrics from its “Famous Compute System”, specifically regarding staff shortages.
#24-3949 - ARPA Hyperfocal and In-Home Vaccination and Vaccination Incentive Program.  The COVID vaccination incentive program of the gift cards received scathing criticism from several commissioners.  12,000 $100 cards were purchased and 8,000 distributed.  Blackhawk, the card vendor reduced the value of the card each month it wasn’t used by $6.00.  There was no contract but an emergency purchase order, and the Chief Counsel has demanded a reimbursement, not just on the remaining balance but the entire purchase order amount.

LEGISLATIVE & INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE
During a very short meeting, the committee approved the appointment of Patricia N. Jjemba to the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board, and approved a resolution offered by Commissioner Gordon to request that the IL General Assembly approve SB3948, an amendment to the missing persons identification act to streamline processes to allow an agency to more quickly attempt to obtain the missing person’s DNA; would require, rather than allow, law enforcement to collect additional information such as fingerprints and biological samples; and provides that a waiting period may not be observed before accepting a missing person report.
Commission Gordon also requested and received approval of her request to Urge Congress to approve the “Protect our Letter Carriers Act (H.R.7629) to enhance postal workers safety.

HEALTH & HOSPITAL SYSTEM COMMITTEE
#24-4143 – Birthday Health Screening Program. The members approved the amended resolution calling for an annual prostate and mammogram health screen at Cook County Health locations – which would be free to those without insurance or other coverages.  Cook County Health’s, Dr. Fagan, noted that black males have a 60% higher mortality rate than white males, and over 16% of CC residents are age 65 or older. 
SEMI-ANNUAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH REPORTS
Office of Behavioral Health – Department of Public Health:   Both the Jail and the Juvenile Detention Center are increasing developing individual behavioral health treatment plans.  70% of those in the JDC are receiving therapy.  The jail is housing more individuals charged with more serious offenses; therefore, an increased number are also receiving mental and drug therapy.  Naloxone is used extensively and being more broadly distributed even after discharge.
Public Defender’s Office:  It was noted by the presenter that the Defender’s office is not a treatment provider, but does assist in identifying needs and getting help.  It will soon launch a community assist center to provide case management and clinical services as well as putting together treatment plans.  Several new mental health clinicians have recently been hired bringing the total to six.  The Office made 104 referrals in the last quarter which is on par with previous quarters.
Circuit Court:  Established guidelines in 2015 based on evidence-based data.  In its Problem-Solving Courts, Probation Officers work with collaborative, community-based services on a team basis.  Accountability is part of the program.  The presenter noted that Narcan is now available at all public libraries.
States Attorney:   Used this reporting period to highlight the issue of Petitions for Firearm Restraining Orders.  A petition is usually filed by a family member.  The Petitioner must be at least 18 years old.  The petition leads to a Writ of Detention Examination for an emergency court order to bring the individual in question to the hospital for examination.  Every effort is made to have the writ brought to a judge on the day the petition was received.
Sheriff’s Office:  The presenter talked about the Sheriff’s Smart and Thrive drug and mental health treatment center.  Participation requires a court order.  At the center during the last period, 1,000 males and 300 females participated.  The Sheriff’s office also has a community-based re-entry program.

Observer - Diane Edmundson

Cook County Board Finance Committee’s Mid-Year Budget Meetings
July 31, 2024

Following the death of Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer (D-2nd Dist), the Democratic Party ward committee persons whose wards include part or all of the 2nd District, met and elected Michael Scott.  He will serve as the 2nd District Commissioner until December, when the winner of the November election will take office for the remaining 2 years of the term.  Commissioner Scott joined the Finance Committee for this last day of mid-year budget hearings.  

Following are some of the highlights of the meetings with the (1) State’s Attorney, (2) Chief Judge, (3) Inspector General, (4) Secretary to the Board of Commissioners, (5) Head of the Veterans Assistance Commission, and (6) Public Defender.

Meeting with State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx

• After several years of a significant number of unfilled positions, SA Foxx reported that the office has a net increase of 40 employees so far, with 75 new graduates expected to join after successfully passing the bar exam.  This is the highest “class” in years, more than the classes from the last 2 years combined.  There has also been a 30% drop in resignations as compared to last year.
• SA Foxx attributed the turnaround in hiring and retention in part to the increase in salaries recently approved by the Board after a compensation study completed late last year.  
• Also helpful, said SA Foxx, is the office’s participation in the County’s retention bonus program this past year.  
• Finally, there is the increase in the hiring of support staff which results in the attorneys being able to spend less time on administrative work and more time on legal work.  
• SA Foxx would like to see the office continue to add to the number of support staff and technology positions, saying that in most offices there are 2 support staff per attorney, while in the SA office, it is the opposite.
• SA Foxx was asked about a recent Sun-Times story about the lack of government corruption cases brought by the SA office.  SA Foxx said the office does have a public corruption unit, but that the US Attorney’s office, which has traditionally brought most of the corruption cases in this area, has far more resources, including the use of the FBI for investigations.
• The SA office received $2.4 M in federal American Rescue Plan (ARPA) dollars for the office’s gun crimes strategy unit.  SA Foxx said that the unit was started in 2017 by putting assistant state’s attorneys in police districts which had the most gun incidents.  ARPA has allowed expansion.  SA Foxx thinks the office will be able to sustain the efforts through other funding sources once the ARPA dollars run out.
• SA Foxx said that the Pre-Trial Fairness Act, which went into effect in Sept. 2023, has had a smooth roll-out in her office.

Meeting with the office of the Chief Judge Timothy Evans

• Chief Judge Evans also had good news on the hiring front, with 23% fewer vacancies at this point as compared to last year.  He attributed the improvement to the office’s use of a new hiring system platform called Jazz HR, which prospective employees find easier to use.
• The Chief Judge reported that the program to resolve eviction cases has helped 55,000 tenants, as well as small landlords, and has been honored nationally.  
• The latest Restorative Justice Community Court has just opened in Commissioner Miller’s 4th District.  The Chief Judge said he is considering adding 4 more such courts, 3 in this next fiscal year in the 5th, 14th, and 16th Commissioner districts.
• The Chief Judge said that the pilot for extending the hours of the Domestic Violence Court for protective orders has shown him that there is a need to have the court operate 24/7.  He plans to talk to the other County officials who provide support to see if and when this can be accomplished.
• One remaining impact of Covid is the continued use of hybrid and remote hearings and other court proceedings, which the Chief Judge said offers a number of advantages. For example, witnesses can appear remotely, making it easier to get their participation.
• The Chief Judge’s web site has a number of statistics posted, including for the implementation of the Pre-Trial Fairness Act, which eliminated cash bail in Sept. 2023.  Among other things: (a) in 18% of the criminal cases, the State’s Attorney files for detention of the accused, which is granted 60% of the time; (b) of those defendants released (whether it be on their own reconnaissance or on electronic monitoring), 88% come back to court for future proceedings on time; (c) 87% of the time, the defendants who have been released pending trial are not charged with any new offenses.  Of those released, only 1% are accused of violent offenses that occur during that release.  See https://www.cookcountycourt.org/court-reports-statistics. 
• There has been much discussion with the Board in the past on the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (“JTDC”), and this continued at this meeting.  Chief Judge Evans said that the contracts approved by the Board with Chapin Hall of the University of Chicago to identify best practices regarding juveniles accused of crimes are on track.  They are looking at creating assessment centers where youths would first be sent and then, when appropriate, the young people could be sent to a center of care that would house 10 to 20 youths, in lieu of the JTDC (which currently houses 210).  The Chief Judge wants to do a pilot program, and he has identified both an assessment center and center of care for young women, and he hopes to have one for young men soon.  
• Commissioner Kevin Morrison was very critical of the JTDC Superintendent for not knowing how many juveniles at the JTDC have identified themselves as LGBTQ.  The Superintendent said that there are opportunities for the youths to self-identify if they wish, but his concern is the safety of all those in his care, regardless of identity.  Comm. Morrison is concerned that LGBTQ juveniles are not getting the care they need, remembering the abuse that he endured in school.  After some testy exchanges, the two agreed to meet separately and discuss further, and Comm. Lowry asked to be included in that discussion.

Meeting with Inspector General Tirrell Paxton

• Under budget for the 6 mos. of fiscal year   $1,024,314 out of budgeted $1,078,193; will stay within budget rest of year
• 19 FTE budgeted; 3 vacancies—working currently to fill them
• Intergovernmental agreement with MWRD involves a payback, so a wash in budget

Meeting with Secretary to the Board Lynne Turner

• Challenges in retaining and filling vacancies (due to burn out, family responsibilities)
• 13 FTE budgeted; 9 filled, 4 vacancies (improved from the beginning of this fiscal year)
• New board room is expected to be done by Dec. 2024, but everyone needs training on using the technology, etc. so won’t be used for a while
• The room will have ADA accessibility , closed caption on video, electronic voting (have to be in the room to use it), QR code for agendas instead of print

Meeting with Veterans Assistance Commission Head Elizabeth Soto

• 11 budgeted FTE, 8 vacant
• Mainly provides emergency aid for veterans—$270,000 to 1,287 veterans so far this year 
• Under budget mainly because of hiring issues
• Grant funding from Federal government coming along well
• Commissioner Trevor and others want more satellite offices in home districts using current commissioner offices—many veterans have difficulty getting to VAC office near Stroger campus

Meeting with Public Defender Sharone R. Mitchell, Jr.

• Just under budget on YTD spent 95%—$44,588,108
• Wants lower caseloads for attorneys—still too high compared to national standards
• 828 FTE budgeted with 694 filled; 60 more will be filled by year end
• New computerized case load management system
• Have classes of newly graduated lawyers going through training in PD office to work there once they have passed the bar exam 
• Some grants have lapsed due to not getting the programming organized; Freedom Defense Center (in Austin) grant was successful; this helps integrate and support accused into programs to help with housing, work, health, etc.
• Challenges include case load amount, space issues, technology issues, hiring process issues
• Current programs being funded by ARPA should be sustainable after 2026 when ARPA ends

Observers:  Priscilla Mims and Karin Hribar

Cook County Board Finance Committee Mid-Year Budget Hearings
​July 30, 2024

9:30 am Cook County Treasurer - Maria Pappas and staff
Highlights:

• 70% of all tax bills have been paid as of today with a due date of Aug. 1
• Each cycle about 200,000 pins are not paid on time
• Overall there is a 98% collection rate countywide 
• There are those pins that are chronically delinquent - many are vacant land - an example was given that Ford Heights has 1400 pins that have not paid in 30 years
• The tax system needs to be changed and she has a Policy Group that is working with Springfield to see what changes can be made.
• Her office has done several studies that can be accessed on their website that are about the problems with the present tax structure. She encouraged everyone to read her studies.
• Many taxpayers do not understand the system or the exemptions. She has a Refund Project that will refund about 10,000 individuals this year. 
• Interest on late payments has been reduced from 18% to 9% (she took credit for this) and now has implemented a payment plan process for those who cannot pay all at once. 
• The office does outreach to all communities and has information available in a multitude of languages. 
• At the tax sale approximately 54,000 pins are offered and about 7,000 are actually sold. Most of those will end up being redeemed. 
• Setting up an AI unit that she hopes will be used to analyze date. Needs to assemble a team that will be able to mine the data

10am Cook County Sheriff - Tom Dart and staff
Highlights:

• Slowed civilian hiring to make budget
• Taking away more guns from those with revoked FOID cards.
• Doesn’t like to ticket for vehicle equipment problems. Likes to work with owners to repair the vehicles instead.
• 80% of inmates in some type of program. EX. Dog training program helps with aggression control. Agribusiness program for learning about a business. 
• Comm. Britton asked about dealing with Mental Health (MH) issues. Sheriff stated that about 40% of inmates have MH issues. Cermak deals with those who have severe issues but they didn’t have the capacity to deal with everyone so he started his own program. Talked about a possible day program at the Boot Camp for those with low level MH issues but concerns with funding and not sure if this is continuing. 
• Comm. Britton also asked about why with the jail population down there has not been a reduction in the budget for salaries - fewer personnel needed. Sheriff stated that they are still short staffed (240 positions open) and the reason the budget is not down is because of the salary increases approved by the CC Board.
• Comm. Anaya asked about licensure of those on staff working with the MI and about insurance coverage for services rendered. Sheriff stated that staff was in appropriate roles and that while services may be covered by Medicaid the sheriff does not have the ability to bill. All billing is done by Cermak. 
• Anaya also asked about Electronic Monitoring. Sheriff state that there are about 1400 now on his EM program. The number has been slowing decreasing. Any violations due to a change in the law now go to a judge who makes a determination but the judges “do not violate very many”. 
• Comm. Quezada had questions about the Co-Responder model for MH calls and questioned the Sheriff’s Treatment Response Teams (TRT) for MH calls. The Sheriff stated that getting trained professionals to respond to calls with officers proved to be too expensive so their teams use tablets that can connect someone in crisis to a MH professional. The program has resulted in a decrease in calls from some households. The sheriff also said he is tired of hearing about programs that are all talk and no action - he wants to get the right people to the door and thinks they are doing that pretty well.
• Quezada also asked about the number of inmates housed elsewhere and the cost to the county. The Sheriff stated that there are 27 inmates in other jails right now - not for capacity reasons but for safety reasons - and there is about $500,000 budget for that with about $200,000 spent to date. 
• Comm. Stamps raised the concern that the facility is not conducive to rehab for young people and wanted to know if they do research on best practices and how do they track success. Sheriff Dart said he is always looking for new ideas and success is measured by the number that do not return and the number that continue after release with the services they get connected with while in his custody. She also suggested that he consider an apprentice program with Chicago Public Schools to encourage employment at the Jail and that could help with the employment situation. Dart liked that idea. 
• There were more questions about billing for services, MH treatment for jail personnel as well as for the inmates, technology updates and the new helicopter. Sheriff said he would provide metrics on the helicopter use and the ongoing cost of housing and maintaining the helicopter. 

12:17pm Cook County Clerk - Cedric Giles and staff
Highlights:

• Now have a GPS tracking system for all election equipment in November
• New voter check-in system for November that will allow voters to update their signatures
• Sample ballots will be posted on their website
• The Recording Division has a new cashier system and they are in the process of digitalizing all records from 1871-1974.
• Commissioners were excited about the Pilot Program of partnering with the township offices for access to records of the Clerks office. Trial is running in Palatine and it may expand although no plans as of now. Also questions about using the City-Key card as an ID which at present is not okay. 

1:09 Cook County Health - Pamela Cassara, CFO, and staff
Highlights:

• CCH is presently in a favorable financial position
• 25% of the ARPA funds that CCH were allocated have been distributed and are on track to have all the funds allocated by the end of the year
• Comm. Trevor asked if CCH had the capacity to take on new patients with the present staffing shortages. Hiring is a top priority with nursing at the top of the list.
• Reproductive Health Issues - At Stroger the nursery is being removed so that they can increase capacity since newborns are now in the rooms with their moms and the nursery is no longer needed. 
• Migrant Health Services - fluctuating need as the numbers change. Can ramp up rapidly if necessary. Are providing health assessments and immunizations. 
• New outpatient facility will be opening in Bronzeville that will include Behavioral Health services.
• Comm. Stamps asked about the marketing of CCH services so that the communities know about where clinics are and what services are available. Stated that some facilities need to be upgraded (Austin Clinic). Also asked about relationship with nursing programs and asked why there was not a “direct hire” program with local high schools and colleges. CCH indicated that there is is a strong connection with the Malcolm X College nursing program. 
• Touted “My Birthday Health Program” that promotes early detection screenings for prostate and breast cancer.

3:31pm - Board of Review - Commissioners Steele, Rogers, and Cardenas
Highlights:

• 2023 Tax bills went out on time this year
• IT has been upgraded and a patch to the mainframe is no longer needed.
• Processed 246,000 appeals (some include multiple pin numbers) with a 46.9% decrease in their assessment.
• 45,000 PTAB cases covered
• Have open positions and recruiting is a challenge - hiring process is a long process.
• Comm. Cardenas emphasized that the mission of Board of Review is to correct assessments - focus primarily on residential properties - not their fault that taxes are increasing.
• Comm. Degnan wanted to know about having separate budgets for each of the Commissioners office which led to confusing discussion of how the BOR allocates their finances and other resources. Per the Budget Director in 2025 budgets will be separated for non-personnel budgets. 
• Comm. Anaya asked about the outreach process to let people know that there is an appeal process and how to do it. BOR says they are doing outreach and asked the CC Commissioners to help with the outreach. 
• Dispute over the assessing, appeal and tax process is ongoing and not new. President’s office is doing a study to determine the best process according to Comm. Steele. 
• A lot of concern expressed over the amount of OT and what that does relate to. Is it the type of work or the number of appeals or something else. Comm. Britton said they need to know so that they can allocate resources appropriately. 
• Comm. Britton also wants to know why there is such a discrepancy in the number of appeals that come from various areas in Cook County - stated that he sees this as an equity issue. Further expressed desire that all involved (Assessor, BOR, and anyone else necessary) get together and work out all these data, communication, equipment etc. issues that seem to be causing a lot of contention. 
• Comm. Kevin Morrison reviewed all BOR minutes for past few years and asked that the BOR commissioners figure out how to get along. 
• There is now a process for pre-filing an appeal so appeals can now be filed anytime and anywhere in Cook County. Comm. Stamps asked for clarification and how this is being communicated to the residents of Cook County. BOR says they don’t have a communications budget so the efforts are minimal.
• Comm. Rogers says there have to be concerted efforts to get the numbers right in the beginning so there is less need to appeal. Comm. Steele said the appeal rate in Cook County is 33%.

Observer: Cynthia Schilsky

Cook County Board Finance Committee Mid-Year Budget Hearing
July 29, 2024

Bureau of Finance Overview

• A bond ratings upgrade for the County was announced for the third time in 3 years. 
• Total FY 2024 budget is $9.26 B. 
• The FY 2024 the General Fund is expected to end the year with a $142M net favorable variance.
• For the preliminary look for FY 2025, the projected budget gap is currently $218M.  That gap will be eliminated by the time the President submits the proposed Executive Budget in October. 
• For the Health Enterprise Fund, a $224.6M positive variance at the end of this fiscal year is expected due to higher County Care enrollment membership, patient fees, improved collection strategies and increased patient volume. Patient fee revenue increased by $22M due to increased Medicare reimbursement rates and improved follow-up on payment rejections. The 2025 budget  forecast is balanced. Membership in CountyCare is expected to stabilize.
• Cook County Deputy Chief Financial Officer  Dean Constantinou noted a $1.18M increase in sales tax revenue (1.8%). Rising interest rates allows investment income to be 20% above expected and are projected to stabilize for 2025.  After 2025, expenses are expected to grow higher than revenues. In response to a question about mitigating the results of investments that are variable, Constantinou stated that they do revenue forecasting and look for alternative investment revenue, and that it would make sense to look at less sensitive investments.
• Cook County received $1B in community outreach and recovery funds from the federal ARPA. CFO Tanya Anthony reported 74% have been obligated to date with 34% of those expended. Anthony stated they are working  to ensure all monies are obligated by the end of the year which is the federal deadline.. Anthony also stated they have capacity to make changes if plans are not working.  If deadlines or benchmarks for obligations are not being met, the County contacts programs to determine what is to happen, what contingency plans exist, and what controls already have been approved to put more money if need is indicated. In response to a question from Com. Anaya, CFO Anthony stated they feel comfortable with the support received from the hired consultant to help administer the ARPA grants.
• Anthony provided a review of the AARPA Fiscal Sustainability Framework to continue projects into the future; its components are policy alignment, fiscal sustainability (long term), program evaluations, and community engagement.  A sustainability model has been developed to continue funding selected programs after 2026 when the ARPA monies run out. Com Lowry asked how funding would be secured for programs. Part of the answer is that grant optimization research is being done. It is expected that some projects will be absorbed into the County budget. The County has already begun putting excess dollars from prior years into a special fund to help continue some projects.Com. Daley stated several times that Commissioners need to remember funding requests will be coming to them in the future. In response to a question about what proposed programs could not be funded, CFO Anthony stated the focus is on what can be sustained, proceeding with that.

Lynetta Haynes Turner, Office of President, Chief of Staff 

• Haynes-Turner stated FY 2024 continues the road to economic recovery, the budget has a manageable deficit, and was done without increasing residential property taxes.
• The challenge for the Bureau of Human Resources to fill vacancies continues and is reflective of the situation nationwide, but there is progress with filling openings in Cook County. 
• She stated $382M in medical debt was eliminated, impacting 220,000 Cook County residents in County Care. She also stated a centralized data system was being developed for property tax information to be shared across all county agencies; it is on track for all participating offices to be off the main frame and on this system by end of 2024. Regarding questions on property taxes, Turner stated Commissioners were welcome to ask many stakeholders to help address the many issues around them.  Com Daley stated leaders in Springfield must come together on this. 

Commissioners Question for Offices of the President

• A frequent question from various Commissioners concerned the hiring process—how many vacancies were there, how long is the hiring cycle.   The departments and Offices reported that their vacancies have reduced over the year.
• Commissioner Degnen recommended that the Office of Innovation hire at least 3 trained Industrial Engineers to address process improvement.  She believes their specific training would be helpful. The department use to have 3 and now only has 1.   Lynetta Haynes Turner said that the departments keep many metrics that they don’t report to the dashboard.  
• Commissioner Degnen asked the Bureau of Technology what the status was for the Tyler installation.   They are behind.  They hoped to be testing end to end but are still testing in each department separately.  They still hope to test end to end by the end of this fiscal year.   The testing does not include BOR.   They will continue to use an interface.
• Commissioner Gainer asked the Finance bureau to put together a dashboard that would consolidate revenue and expenses, that would be helpful to the Commissioners to know the financial status of the County.
• Commissioner Lowry addressed the continuation of some ARPA projects such as Guaranteed Income which he sees as being very beneficial.   The University of Chicago is conducting a study of that program to   track its benefits.
• Commissioner Gordon asked how is the Finance office monitoring “non-profit gang banging”-when groups get money but then don’t provide any accounting of their efforts. There are  grant monitoring teams.  The Office also tries  to have all the grantees work together in a community and hold each other accountable.   
• Comm. Gordon also questioned the Transportation Department about the large deficit the regions public transit agencies have.  Sis Killian said that President Preckwinkle believes an integrated system would be best and they are looking at various coordination options.
• Commissioner Quezada asked the Technology Department how they are preparing for AI.  There are working groups addressing how it can be used in operations and how private data can be protected.

Office of the Public Administration

• No discussion

Cook County Assessor
     The conversation focused on how property taxes could be reduced in Cook County and what help could be given home owners.  Assessor Kaegi’s office is providing information to various agencies and groups and to individual residents about the eligibility for various exemptions and how to apply. His office sends a list to Commissioners of people in their district that are eligible for exemptions but have not applied.   He is working with the State to make the senior freeze auto renew.   He cautioned that the expansion of exemptions pushes the tax burden onto other residents.
He has three proposals to help people pay their   property tax.  All require action by the State Legislature.

1. Illinois should fund again the  Circuit Breaker program. It would provide grants to eligible seniors and persons with disabilities to help them reduce the costs of property taxes, license plate renewals and rides on public transit.  The State stopped funding the program in 2013.
2. The State should streamline the process for the homeowner exemption.
3. TIF regulations should be changed to allow TIF excess funds to go to home owners for tax relief.

Commissioner Degnen said Cook County should be looking at ways to decrease expenses in general and decrease the dependency on property taxes to fund government.
Commissioner Quezada said that a third party should be hired to examine who is accurate in their valuations—the Assessor or the Board of Review. Mr. Kaegi said that such a contract is currently going through the procurement process.  It would hire the International Association of Assessment Officers to evaluate the last 4 years.

Land Bank Authority

• The Commissioners were complementary of the Office.   It has  brought in 500 developers to build in underserved areas.

Clerk of the Circuit Court

• Commissioner Aguilar asked about the complaints that there are not enough court clerks and that impedes trials.   The Clerk has instituted new personnel policies that collapse titles and cross train clerks so that they can service different courts.  They also have improved hiring and have 530 court clerks for 357 court rooms.

Observers - Carolyn Cosentino and Kathi Graffam

Cook County Board of Commissioners Committee Meetings  
July 24, 2024

Finance Committee

• Carrianne Carallis, Director of Research, Operations and Innovation, outlined the new process to review and revise performance management goals and measures. The objective will  be to align the measures with the stated mission of the department in the budget book.  They are going to start with the Economic Development Department and plan to review all departments under the President by the end of the fiscal year.  Then they hope that the elected offices will also participate.   Commissioner Gainer said they should address the measures in Human Resources since money is being spent to improve the process.   Deloitte is consulting with that department.   Commissioner Daley said the elected offices should be included, especially focusing on the technology programs such as in the Court system.  Commissioner Miller asked if there were standards for the Justice Advisory Council grantee reviews.  She also asked if ARPA has standards for performance evaluation.   The ARPA reporting requirements focus more on finances.   
• The County’s Fitch bond rating has improved from AA- to AA.   This will help with the impending issuance of sales tax revenue bonds.

Criminal Justice Committee

• One of the public speakers was Carlos Ballesteros, a reporter for Injustice Watch, who has been investigating the high number of deaths at the jail and urged the Commissioners to hold a hearing on the issue.
• The Commissioners recommended for full Board approval the purchase of a helicopter for the Sheriff’s Office for $11.3M. Currently, the Sherriff shares one helicopter with Chicago.   Chicago has 4 additional helicopters.   There was a lot of discussion about the cost of the helicopter’s ongoing maintenance, fuel, and pilot costs. The pilot can be a civilian and would be accompanied by two tactical officers.    There will be an additional request for money in the budget for those items.   Jason Hernandez of the Sheriff’s Office explained that they have to know the model of the helicopter to be purchased in order to calculate the other costs.  They anticipate it will be $3.1M/year. A helicopter reduces the need for high speed car chases, facilitates searches in wooded areas, and can be used for patrol and other emergencies.   It will be delivered in second quarter 2025.

Health and Hospitals Committee

• LaMar Hasbrouch, M.D. reported that they are tracking four difference communicable diseases: Covid, H5N1 (bird flu), Mpox, and West Nile Virus.   Incidences of Covid are still low in Cook County but Dr. Hasbrouch explained that the variants change and so those people who are more vulnerable should get another vaccine this fall.  
• The agency has five points of surveillance of standing water for West Nile Virus throughout the County.  There has been one case this year.   They have a program called Fight the Bite, educating schools and other groups to protect themselves against mosquito bites and eliminate standing water.

Asset Management Committee

• The department is working with vendors to install electric vehicle charging stations in suburban Cook County. The vendors will charge for the service.  There was discussion about the two power levels of the charging stations and where they would be placed.   Commissioner Moore asked that some should be put in his district as there currently are very few and that they should be the higher- level charging station that requires a shorter time for the charge, as residents would not be able leave their cars for a long period of time.     Commissioner Degnen recommended that more charging stations be put in the County buildings to facilitate the County fleet being converted to electric vehicles.

Audit Committee

• The RSM US LLP audit manager presented the report of the  comprehensive financial audit for the County.   It was a clean audit.   There were reporting errors discovered and the relevant departments accepted the findings and put in additional controls.    He stated that the workman’s compensation liability for the County is $1.3B.  Commissioner Gainer asked if he could break down the components of the pension liability increase to headcount, recent salary increases, and investment income/loss.   The auditor did not have that specific information, but thought the County analysts could provide it to the Commissioners.
• A previous finding of insufficient monitoring of systems access for employees that moved to another department or were terminated was discussed.  The controls were better in this audit.    Commissioner Anaya asked more questions about how the controls were improved.   Currently a paper form has to be completed by the supervisor and there is a 90 day completion deadline, which the Commissioner commented was too long especially for a terminated employee.

Contract Compliance Committee

• Director Mandeville reported on the current lawsuits in other states that are challenging MWBE programs and the potential effects on the County’s program.  Her department is working to help MWBE and all smaller vendors learn how to navigate doing business with the County.  They are making informational webinars open to all vendors.  The County needs to address how to make it easier for any small business to participate, such as breaking down contract amounts into smaller units.

Emergency Management & Regional Security Committee

• The executive director, Ted Berger, explained the updated multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan.  125 municipalities and agencies are participating including the Forest Preserve and the MWRD.  The group cooperates in dealing with issues such as the recent flooding in the County.

Observer:  Kathleen Graffam