League of Women Voters of Cook County
  • Home
  • About
    • LWVCC Interest Groups >
      • Cook County Budget & Structure Group
      • Criminal Justice
      • Forest Preserve Interest Group
    • LWVCC Action and Testimony
    • LWVCC Activities
  • Observer Reports
    • Cook County Board Observer Reports
    • MWRD Board Observer Reports
    • Forest Preserve Board Observer Reports
    • CCH Board Observer Reports
  • Voter Info
  • Resources
    • Cook County Board
    • Forest Preserve Board
    • Cook County Elected Officials
    • MWRD Board
    • Cook County Health Board
    • Member Resources

Criminal Justice Committee of Cook County Board Discusses Jail Safety and Security Issues

12/26/2024

0 Comments

 
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Committee Meetings
December 18, 2024


Criminal Justice Committee

The meeting began with 45 minutes of Public Comment from advocates and family members of those persons who have died while incarcerated at the Cook County Jail. Comments focused on the need for better procedures to ensure the health and safety of persons while they are incarcerated. Also requests for more transparency and better notification procedures when deaths occur. 

​Public Comment was followed by a presentation from representatives of the Sheriff’s Office and Cook County Health (Cermak Hospital) to educate the County Board about the policies and procedures in place to address the health and safety of detainees. (Agenda Item 25-5416) The following points were made during the presentations:
  • 40,000 people per year cycle through the Cook County Jail System
  • In 2023 44% of inmate deaths involved drug soaked paper
  • Initial assessments for health risks and medications are done on all individuals when they go through intake
  • The Sheriff’s Office has programs for individuals with Substance Abuse and/or Mental Health Issues as well as anti-violence and anger management programs. 
  • Naloxone is available across the compound and training of personnel is done. 
  • Attempts are being made to review all mail so that drug soaked paper does not get into the jail. 
  • Cermak does initial assessments on approximately 82 persons per day
Commissioner Questions and responses:
  • Comm. Quesada asked for the numbers of deaths and cause of death. In 2024 there have been 10 deaths and in 2023 there were 18 deaths. In 2024 2 were natural causes, 1 overdose, 1 suicide, 2 homicide, 1 accidental overdose and 3 undetermined to date. In 2023 there were 6 from natural causes, 8 overdoses, 1 suicide and 3 homicides. He also asked about the procedure known as “cross watching” which is when staff have to oversee more than one unit. Response was that it does occur when staffing is not adequate. It is not prohibited but also not ideal and is used judiciously when necessary.
  • Comm. Anaya asked how the jail and the health system collaborate to ensure that individuals receive the care they need while incarcerated. Inmates are assessed for health needs when they enter the system and can request health services anytime if they want to. Cermak îs not an emergency facility but they will respond as necessary but also outside emergency services are enlisted when necessary. 

Legislative and Intergovernmental Relations Committee
  • An amendment to the Board Rules was proposed requiring that any reports and documents pertaining to board agenda items must be attached to the original filing of the item. If not attached initially they must be filed 48 hours prior to a meeting or the item must be withdrawn, deferred or referred to committee. (Agenda Item 24-6376) The item was approved. The League of Women Voters of Cook County did submit written comments to the board supporting this amendment. 
  • A technical amendment to the Paid Leave Ordinance was approved to address some of the concerns that school districts have been raising with this ordinance. (Agenda Item 24-6496) Comm. Britton stated that he has been attending municipal meetings over the past few weeks and more entities are opting out of the County's Paid Leave Ordinance. He said that by not excluding Park and School Districts from the ordinance it has probably resulted in fewer people being covered than was originally intended. Comm. Morita said that they will continue to work with the school districts to ensure that their concerns are addressed. 
  • A representative from the Assessor’s Office presented an Update on “split-classed, commercial mixed-use properties” -  a new definition for the sub category of 3-18 under multi-use Class 3 property assessments. (Agenda Item - 24-6504) This classification addresses properties that have commercial space as well as residential space and considers square footage as well as % of living space vs commercial space.  Several speakers spoke during the Public Comment at the beginning of the meeting about the tax burden being placed on certain small business owners due to the reclassification of 3-18 properties in the last assessments. The presentation outlined the process the Assessor’s Office used to change the definition of the 3-18 to address the concerns of the 30 property owners in the south suburban area and the city who will benefit from this change. In the next assessment of the northern suburban area there could be more properties that will be affected.  

Finance Committee
  • During the Cook County Health Financial Report, CCH reported that there has been a 14% decrease in the utilization of agency workers throughout the system, an initiative that Comm. Degnan and  Anaya have been pursuing. Comm. Gainer asked whether this was a sustainable decrease and what factors changed to allow this to happen. CCH staff stated that salary adjustments and reassessing staffing needs/requirements were key. Also some agency employees are converting to County employees which is expected to result in a savings. Comm. Gainer also requested information about how much the agencies are paying their contracted employees and how much the agency is keeping. CCH said they would attempt to get that information.

Observer - Cynthia Schilsky
0 Comments

Cook County Board Mid-Year Budget Hearings - Day 1

8/12/2024

0 Comments

 
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
0 Comments

Commissioners Hear about Impact of Assessor’s Change to Definition for Some Mixed-Use Buildings

7/26/2024

0 Comments

 
Cook County Board Committee Meetings
July 22, 2024


Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee
  • Most of the meeting centered around the change made by Assessor Fritz Kaegi in the fall of 2023 to the definition of buildings under the 3-18 subcategory for buildings containing commercial and residential uses.  As a result of this change, some properties no longer qualified as a 3-18 and had a significant change in their assessed value and resulting tax bills because residential property is assessed at 10% of the value and commercial property is assessed at 25% of the value.  The change was made under the Assessor’s rule-making authority.
  • Two main objections were raised by public speakers, in addition to the speakers providing specifics as to how they were adversely impacted: (1) the lack of public input prior to the change, and (2) the Assessor’s use of a rule change rather than coming to the Board for a change to the County ordinances.
  • The Assessor started his presentation by saying that the Cook County property tax system is unnecessarily complex, even as compared to other counties in Illinois, in part due to the different assessment levels for commercial and residential properties.  However, on the plus side, the Assessor said that the much smaller level for residential properties can incentivize expanding and maintaining residential units.
  • The Assessor and his staff explained that Assessors have long used their rulemaking authority to create sub-categories for properties under the main categories that are fairly broad under the County ordinance in order to be able to assess properties with common characteristics similarly.  The Assessor said that the change to the definition under the 3-18 subcategory was made to respond to an investigation by the Office of the Independent Inspector General in 2022 which found that some mixed-use properties were being assessed at the 10% level even though the majority of the space was used for commercial properties.  The Assessor said that the change in definition was to close this “loophole” and the Assessor used the rule-making authority to quickly make the change to have it in place in time for the start of the triennial reassessment of the South and West areas of the County.  
  • Commissioners raised questions regarding (1) the Assessor’s decision to use rule-making authority (but did not appear to question that authority) as opposed to talking to the Commissioners about a possible ordinance change, (2) the failure of the Assessor to communicate the rulemaking changes to the Commissioners so they would know about this before they heard from constituents, (3) the use of the limit of 35% for the commercial area of the property under the new 3-18 definition, and (4) how much communication and outreach the Assessor had done when making the change.  The Commissioners pointed out that property owners would not necessarily have understood the impact of their change in classification until the 2nd installment bill arrived this July.  Also, the Commissioners said that there cannot be too much communication.
  • Commissioner Morita (and possibly others) said she would work with the Assessor’s office to look closer at the new definition and whether an ordinance change was appropriate and said she expected that options could be presented to the Board in September.  

Workforce, Housing, & Community Development Committee
  • The Committee recommended for full Board approval two proposals to use HOME investment Partnership Program funds for (1) an 80-unit affordable housing development in Franklin Park ($1.75 M), and (2) a 42-unit affordable senior housing development in Hillside ($2.5 M). (Item # 24-3370 and # 24-2891)
  • There were a number of public commentators against the Hillside development objecting to (1) the use of this property which would be exempt from local property taxes, thereby eliminating the opportunity to have a taxable use of the property which could reduce the local school taxes on Hillside residents, (2) the fact that there are no public transportation options nearby, and (3) allegations of wrongdoing by the developer that had been raised at a prior meeting which caused this item to be deferred.
  • Susan Campbell, the Director of the County’s Department of Planning and Development, said that they had investigated the previously-raised allegations and the Department was satisfied there was no evidence of any impropriety.  Commissioner Trevor pointed out that there are many sections of Suburban Cook County that lack public transportation and that should not be a bar to making investments in needed housing. 

Observer:  Priscilla Mims 
0 Comments

Will Cook County Begin to Use Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

3/14/2024

0 Comments

 
Cook County Board of Commissioners Committee Meetings
February 28, 2024


Technology Committee
:
  • Various County Departments and Offices gave their Strategic Goals for Technology advancement. However, any observer watching via ZOOM could not see any of the reports shared by the various departments as they were not posted. 
  • The Tech Department of the County is ready to use AI for various aspects of County work, but will not do so until the Board approves.
  • Concerns by Board members on use of AI included:  racial bias and discrimination, expanding the surveillance state,  protecting residents with current policies such as sanctuary cities,  misuse, profiteering, misinformation, and that the current workforce not be decreased.
  • Concern by some Board members of the costs of maintaining the legacy mainframe system due to continuous delays.
  • Board of Review presentation highlighted modernization of website enhancements and other user upgrades  (TALEO for hiring, electronic signatures, etc)  There is still a lot of controversy in this Office regarding moving from an old computer system to the new Tyler system that the other tax offices are using.  The old system requires double entry to correlate with the other offices.  However, the next round of property taxes will be on time.
  • Assessor says their complete upgrade will be ready to go live during the 3rd quarter of 2024.  Treasurer has become very efficient using technology automation—no longer using “paper.”
  • Court System (Sheriff, Clerk, Clerk of the Court, Chief Judge, States Attorney)—all of these offices are in varying stages of fully moving to the more modern Tyler system.  Some goals for 2024:  provide WIFI in all courts, fully integrate with the other offices, get new tech vendors, security measures, data point mapping.

Rules and Administration Committee and Legislation and intergovernmental Relations Committee: 
  • The paid leave ordinance (24-1181), which would give one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked up to 5 days per year, was deferred since some more changes need to be made for local governments who cannot afford to incorporate this requirement.  Many speakers were against this ordinance and a few for it.  An amendment to align with State law is being considered.  The amendment to the Paid Leave Ordinance (24-1233) was also deferred.  As a note:  after this meeting, the new substitute ordinance was listed as exempting ALL government entities from this paid leave requirement.  Essentially only private business will need to follow the ordinance.

Asset Management Committee: 
  • Several Commissioners questioned why a lease for a new Restorative Justice Court in Sauk Village was being proposed when both the Public Defender and States Attorney sent letter stating they could not staff that new court in this budget year.  After a lot of questioning and controversy it was agreed to defer this item (24-1056) until the next meeting so that correct information could be obtained.

Environment and Sustainability Committee: 
  • This Committee convened at about 4:30pm.  Six persons gave public testimony; five against and one for the Coal Tar Sealants Ban Ordinance (23-5769) Of the opponents of the ban were two employers, Coppers and Sealmaster, one representative of the Pavement Coatings and Technology Council, one lobbyist for the Chemical Industry and one employee in the industry. The only speaker for the ban represented the 40,000 members of the Friends of the Chicago River.  All speakers referenced studies supporting their positions.
  • Having received additional information, which affected the wording of the proposed Ordinance after being placed on the agenda, the Committee stated that they would be deferring a vote on the Ban until the March Board Meeting. The Board accepted item 23-5769 Ban on Coal Tar Sealants, then accepted new wording for the proposed ban and finally deferred item 23-5769 as substituted.
  • Deferral was requested by the sponsor of the Ban due to unexpected consequences on some industries and further substitution may be made to the wording before it is brought again before the committee.  The vote approved the deferral. The Committee adjourned immediately at 5:00pm

What to watch for in the next meetings:  
  • Coal Tar Ban Ordinance
  • Paid Leave Ordinance
  • Sauk Village Court Lease
  • Board of Review technology migration

​Observers:  Karin Hribar and Victoria Cerenich (Environment and Sustainability Committee)
0 Comments

Departmental Budget Hearings Continue

10/29/2023

0 Comments

 
Cook County Board Finance Committee Budget Hearings
October 25, 2023 - 1pm 


​Cook County Clerk - Karen Yarborough

2024 Request Total:    $76,772,474              2023 Approved:    $65,849,554
2024 Total FTEs:    349                                   2023 FTEs:        351    
Key Items from the Meeting:
  • Regarding Revenue generation the Clerk’s office is working on digitizing the records from 1871-1974 to provide access to these records to the public through a Scan on Demand program
  • With the termination of Shakman oversight in her office Clerk Yarborough said this will now allow her HR department to do their job.
  • The office is piloting a project in Palatine Township for online services to place an order for documents from her office.
  • When asked about the integration of the Tyler System in her office she said that it still needs to integrate with their cashier system and she estimates the cost at about $400,000. There has been years of delay with this integration and she indicated that $150,000 was spent on an interface with the mainframe prior to the Tyler system.
  • Comm. Morita asked about the consolidation of election results between the County and Chicago - wanting to know if the process for consolidation will be expedited by the March election and the Clerk indicated they hoped that would be the case.


Office of the Independent Inspector General - Interim IIG - Steve Cyronoski
2024 Request Total:    $2,456,335                       2023 Approved:    $2,307,093
2024 Total FTEs:    19                                               2023 FTEs:        19

Key Items from Meeting:
  • Mr. Cyronoski indicated that the number of cases the office investigates has increased and he thinks this is probably due to an increased knowledge about the office. He also indicated that 85-91% of their recommendations are adopted.
  • Comm. Degnan asked if there should be a fresh look at the way the reports from the office are reviewed by the Board. Instead of being referred to the Finance Litigation Sub-committe (they usually meet in Closed Session) perhaps there should be a committee designated just for review of the reports or they should come to the Finance Committee as a whole and be reviewed in public. Comm. Degnan indicated that the public (in particular the LWVCC) wants to know that the reports are read and there is follow-up on the recommendations. Mr. Cyronoski indicated that the report is a public report and does not need to be discussed in private.
  • Comm. Anaya asked why there was not 100% compliance with their recommendations. Mr. Cyronoski indicated that there can be disagreement with their recommendations and that would be indicated in their report. The office of the IIG has no authority to require that a department comply with their recommendations.
  • The office is budgeted for 19 positions and at present 16 positions are filled. They are looking to fill an investigator position and the Deputy IIG position is being left open until the new IIG position is filled so they will be able to appoint their own deputy. At that time Mr. Cyronoski will resume his role as Legal Counsel in the office.
  • Comm. Morita asked about whether the office went beyond their investigative function to do program review. Mr. Cyronoski indicated that the office served a “good government function” and was not really charged with program review.

Assessor - Fritz Kaegi
2024 Request Total:    $35,848,794        2023 Approved:    $35,000,768
2024 Total FTEs:    296                              2023 FTEs:        286
Key points from the meeting:
  • The Assessor said that appeals to his office have declined. The office has done 250 Outreach Events and they will continue with outreach and also continue to expand the number of languages used in these efforts. The office is about to finalize their 5 year strategic plan.
  • Comm. Aguilar asked about the timeline for next year’s tax bills and the Assessor said he thought that next year the bills would be on a better timeline. 
  • Comm. Anaya asked about the mechanism for keeping track of the various tax incentives granted by the board (6A, 6B, Class 8 etc) and also questioned the effectiveness of the incentives. Assessor Kaegi said that the Assessor role is a ministerial role concerning tax incentives. Granting of a tax incentive begins with the municipalities and once approved at that level the Economic Development Advisory Council (EDAC) verifies that all criteria are met, in particular the job creation criteria. Then the tax incentive is approved by the Board of Commissioners. If a property is still vacant after 2 years the incentive can be withdrawn. Comm. Anaya further said that tax incentives are an issue that needs further discussion at a different time.
  • Comm. Trevor asked if the decrease in appeals was for residential and commercial properties and the Assessor said the decrease was more on the residential properties. 
  • Comm. Moore wanted to know about the timeline and the funding to get the office off of the mainframe. Assessor Kaegi said that about $150,000 has been allocated for consultants to help get the information transferred from the mainframe into their system and that should be done by April and no more funding should be required.
  • Comm. Stamps asked for information about lists that were sent to the commissioners with the names of seniors who had not reapplied for their Senior Freeze exemptions. Kaegi said that these individuals had been contacted by their office but many had still not reapplied. They need to apply every year. He also said that his office is having a Train the Trainer program to instruct people in how to help people get the exemptions they are entitled to.
  • Comm. Moore requested that the Assessor explain how Appraised Value and Assessed Value are used within the Assessor’s office. Kaegi said the Appraised Value is the Market Value for a property and is used for purposes other than taxation. Once that value is established the Assessed Value in Cook County is determined as 10% of the Appraised Value for residential properties. For commercial properties the Assessed Value is 25% of the Appraised Value. Location and size are the biggest drivers of determining value and his office makes every effort to watch out for bias to keep from over or under valuation.

Chief Judge (CJ) - Tim Evans

2024 Request Total:    $343,259,173                       2023 Approved:    $329,470,661
2024 FTEs:        3,031                                                  2023 FTEs:        3,020.3

Key points from the meeting:
  • Chief Judge Evans stated that an analysis of the Restorative Justice Courts has been completed by his office and the report has been sent to the commissioners. The report indicates that the recidivism rate is much lower for persons going through these courts than those going through the regular court system. 
  • Chief Judge Evans also reported on the institution of the no cash bail aspect of the Pre-trial Safety Act. He stated that from September 18 to October 14, 3300 cases had been filed and of that number SAs had petitioned for detention in 476 of the cases. Of that number 232 persons were detained pre-trial. Of those released only 3 persons were arrested again. He says that all is going well at this point but it has only been 1 month.
  • The CJ reported what he is doing about the SCRAM situation. This involves a test that can be ordered by a judge that will test for alcohol in a person’s system and keep them from driving if their level is too high. This service was contracted to a company and his office wanted to expand the contract and before that could happen the contract expired. The company has continued to provide the service under the old contract when a judge ordered it for a defendant. This service is paid for by the defendant on a sliding scale payment system and not paid for by the county or the tax payer. The CJ has established a working group to write a report that will indicate how many persons are ordered to use this service and how much money the company is collecting for providing the service. A new RFP may also be forthcoming.
  • Update on the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC). Equip for Equality gave a report to the CJ with recommendations for changes that are beginning to be instituted. There is no longer a 7pm bedtime. Programs are provided for the detainees in the evenings. Training in de-escalation procedures will begin in early November. There are 322 vacant positions. A Job Fair was held on Oct. 16 and 400 people attended and 386 applications were received. 35 positions have been filled and he is hoping to have all positions filled by the end of the year.
  • The pilot program for DV Orders of Protection during non-business hours that began in September of 2022 has indicated that the service should be provided. The pilot provided for services on weekdays from 9pm-3am and on Saturdays from 1-6pm. During the pilot there were 917 petitions for emergency orders and 699 orders were issued by Judges. The CJ would like to expand it to 24/7 if possible, since the pilot program does seem to indicate a need. 
  • Comm. Daley asked if anyone has been detained pre-trial without a request from the SA. The CJ stated that there is no constitutional requirement that a SA file a petition - a judge could make that determination on his own. Daley also asked about the continuances and what is being done about those. The CJ stated that there now is a system in place that will track why cases are being continued and the system is easy to use. Daley indicated that there may need to be a meeting to get more clarity about this issue.
  • Comm. Degnan asked about enabling recording in court rooms in addition to court reporters. The CJ said he could support working on this. She also asked about the EMIT System that is the technology system that is supposed to connect the Judge’s order, the Clerk of the Court, and the Sheriff. He indicated he is open to working on the process. She also asked about when he will be able to get off the mainframe. He indicated that they are working to get off by June 2024. 

Capital Budget - Tanya Anthony/ Jennifer Killen/ Tom Lynch/ Elizabeth Granato 
2024 Proposed Total:    $539.1M
    $238.6M for Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for County facilities
    $154.3M for Transportation and Highways Program (THP)
    $146.2M for Capital Equipment Program (CEP) for County departments    

PowerPoint presented outlining all these programs.
Key Point from Questions:Comm. Miller asked Tom Lynch, Bureau of Technology, for clarification on cost and time frame for the various technology projects. He stated the following:
  • The Property Project - the Integrated property tax system - including the offices of the Assessor, The Board of Review, the Treasurer and the Clerk dates back to 2014 when Tyler was selected as the system for all the tax offices. The Board of Review had contracted 2 years previously with a different system for the case management of appeals that was to be integrated with Tyler. At the present time the Assessor is fully on Tyler. The Treasurer and the Clerk were supposed to be on by the end of the year but it was decided that it was too risky to do this in the middle of a tax cycle so now all offices have agreed that by the 3rd quarter of 2024 they will all be on Tyler.
  • Since 2015 $59.8M has been spent on the Property Project - some in the Operating budget, some in GIS budget, and some in the Capital budget. Projecting for 2024 an additional $13M will be needed. Mr. Lynch indicated that the Tyler contract has not increased but the time frame has definitely been extended and thus the ancillary costs have increased by millions part of which has been to maintain the legacy system (the mainframe). 
  • The other Project involves the offices of the Clerk of the Court, The Chief Judge and the States Attorney getting off the mainframe. Each of these offices has a time frame to get off the legacy system during 2024 and their budgets reflect the costs involved. He thinks that all are funded adequately to make this happen and all have agreed to the timeline. He also stated that the Justice Integration Project will be presented at the Technology Committee Meeting of the Board in November 2023.

The meeting was recessed at 7:15pm. Very few commissioners still remained in the room.  

Observer: Cynthia Schilsky
0 Comments

Cook County Board Committee Meetings

10/25/2023

0 Comments

 
Cook County Board of Directors Committee Meetings
October 17, 2023


Business & Economic Development Committee
The entire meeting was used to present item # 23-3872 - Ordinance Creating Assessment Classification for Industrial or Commercial Community Solar Energy System Installations
Goals: 
  • 1)  to lower the barriers of entry for commercial and industrial companies to increase energy to contribute to the community energy grid.  
  • 2)  to motivate companies to participate by offering an initial drop in assessments for a 10-year period. Assessments will be reduced to 20% of market value from the normal of 25% for the square footage used for the solar energy panels. 
  • 3) to ensure that the energy created is used for off-site consumption. Companies must submit annual proof that the installed solar facilities are actively producing energy for off-site consumption.
The Assessors office worked with Commissioners Gainer and Degnan to create this avenue for creating energy while not penalizing companies by increasing their assessments for the square footage covered by the solar panels.  
Commissioner Degnan stated that "this is a great example of getting [bureaucracy] out of the way" for private business to contribute to the public good.
The meeting was then recessed until Thursday, October 19, 2023 to work on a substitute amendment to the originally introduced ordinance.  On Thursday morning, the committee voted unanimously to adopt the substitute and then adopted the ordinance to be presented to the board for approval.

​Technology Committee
  • A representation of the Board of Review stated that about 96% of the development stage and 92% of the overall project to complete the integration with Tyler is completed. Tyler is the system being used by the Assessor's office and other offices involved in producing the twice annual property tax bills to property owners.   It is expected that the entire project will be completed by October 24.  It was mentioned by a commissioner that the report due October 1 comparing the cost of the patch to Tyler vs conversion to Tyler has not yet been received.  No return comment was made.
  • Due to holidays, tax bills, etc., the Board of Technology stated that it expects to go live on Tyler in May of 2024. At that time, all property systems will be off the antiquated main frame computer system.  It also wants to extend the contract maintenance services to the main frame thru 2024 with the option to cancel earlier.
  • The States Attorney said that its Nexus case management system resides on the mainframe too.  The go live date to transfer off is February 2024.

​Observer:  Diane Edmundson
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    Individual authors are credited at the end of each post.

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015

    Categories

    All
    ARPA Funds
    Assessor
    Ballot Referendum
    Board Of Review
    CCHHS
    Chief Judge
    Contracts
    Cook County Board
    Cook County Budget
    Cook County Health (CCH)
    Cook County Sheriff
    County Clerk
    Covid 19
    Criminal Justice
    Departmental Budget Hearings
    Economic Development
    Election Administration
    Environmental Control
    Ethics Ordinance
    Gun Violence
    Healthcare
    Independent Inspector General
    Paid Sick Leave
    Pensions
    Performance Based Management
    Police Matters
    Public Defender
    Recorder Of Deeds
    Shakman
    Soda Tax
    State's Attorney Office
    Taxes
    Tax Incentives
    Technology
    Transportation Plan

    RSS Feed

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF COOK COUNTY
332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 634
Chicago, IL 60604

312/939-5935 
[email protected]
Terms and Conditions of Use
© Copyright League of Women Voters of Cook County, Illinois. All rights reserved.
Membership Information
CONTACT US
  • Home
  • About
    • LWVCC Interest Groups >
      • Cook County Budget & Structure Group
      • Criminal Justice
      • Forest Preserve Interest Group
    • LWVCC Action and Testimony
    • LWVCC Activities
  • Observer Reports
    • Cook County Board Observer Reports
    • MWRD Board Observer Reports
    • Forest Preserve Board Observer Reports
    • CCH Board Observer Reports
  • Voter Info
  • Resources
    • Cook County Board
    • Forest Preserve Board
    • Cook County Elected Officials
    • MWRD Board
    • Cook County Health Board
    • Member Resources