Assessor
July 23, 2026

Assessor Fritz Kaegi presented the mid-year budget update and reported on how the funds budgeted for the Assessor’s Office for the first six months of 2026 were spent. Chief of Staff Scott Smith provided details as requested.

• Within budget for 2026
• 2027 budget.  Push to maintain quality within budget.
• Received five awards at National Association of Counties (NACO) annual meeting in July 2026: for (1)reaching out to Chicago homeowners experiencing property tax hikes for assistance, (2) creating new kiosk & call back system to improve tax payer services, (3) creating new IT help desk, (4) creating talent internship program, and (5)creating data integrity department
• At NACO, with Maricopa County Assessor Eddie Cook, presented changes that since 2018 made making property tax system more transparent, fair and accessible.
• Reported that Prof. Chris Barry, University of Chicago found since 2018, previously under-assessed Gold Coast and over-assessed  low and middle-priced homes in Chicago have been corrected saving low and middle income homeowners $1.9 billion off their property tax bills.
• Says root causes of property tax increases for homeowners are commercial property tax reductions for data centers and for high-rise luxury apartment buildings.  
• New interactions with the Board of Review (BOR):  now using the same estimated tax rate for determining the assessment for commercial properties, and now appearing at BOR appeal hearings to defend Assessor’s assessment of properties
• Redesigned websites, forms with help from Literacy Work.  Available in multiple languages.
• Updated software PTaxSim to simulate changes in property tax with changes in types of properties and property features.
• 127 Outreach events, 23 focused on the south and west suburbs.

Information provided in response to Commissioner questions:

• Implementing recommendations of 2024 Commercial Valuation Report: 
• Assessor’s office valuations are closer to actual sales of properties than the BOR.  Needed to be in agreement on estimating tax rates for purposes of assessments of commercial properites.  Now will load “effective” tax rates for commercial properties since finding agreement with BOR.
• Meets with BOR every two weeks and weekly on tax bill schedules.
• Said there should be a sales ratio study annually in December, but this has not been received from the Cook County President’s Office since Dec 2024 and have not seen this for apartment buildings.
• NACO is asking for appraisal information from national mortgage database to improve accuracy of property description.
• Pending legislation in Illinois will help seniors by making “Senior Freeze Exemption” (SFE) auto-renewable.
• Working with IL Dept. of Revenue (IDOR) to check income and to update SFE when property sells; will send two notices to homeowner, and follow-up fall 2026.
• Using new vendor, Lexus Nexus, for better addressing data. Assessor receives info when SFE holder moves into “retirement” home.
• SFE income cap lifted in 2026 legislation beginning in 2027 from $65K, increasing on a phased-in basis to $79K .
• 23 staff bonuses (17  public facing) are bi-lingual English-Spanish certified and get monthly bonuses per County policy; also,  “pocket-talk” devices are in use for all languages.
• Neighborhood valuations increase due to local improvements, if existing home does not have improvements, homeowner must appeal.
• Attend outreach: more than one event is held per day.
• Use the data modelling online to help appeal.
• Support NACO’s. request for Fannie Mae data.
• Four different levels of appeal in Illinois: (1) Assessor’s Office: in closest contact with taxpayer, holds most property records; Appeals by homeowners w/o attorneys are 25-30% of total appeals and better outcomes than with attorneys; (2) BOR; (3) Illinois Property Tax Appeals Board (IPTAB): and/or (4)Circuit Court
• Reassessing commercial properties in suburbs depends on receipt of permits describing construction and improvements from local governing bodies.
• Says data Centers appeal to BOR and claim personal property or owned by a real estate company; If assessed lower than actual, puts burden on homeowner; have deep pockets to take appeal to IPTAB and court.
• Recommend Illinois Dept. of Professional Regulation (IDPR) be asked to prosecute appraisers who intentionally under-appraise Data Centers.
• Recommend County exert some control over whether property tax incentives are granted.
• BOR changed residential assessed values by approximately 1%.  BOR lowers taxes of commercial properties by 20-25%.  Hopes that agreement on estimating tax rates will help address this difference, along with other steps of sharing Assessor’s data and appearing at BOR appeals hearings to defend Assessor’s assessments. 
• Harvey and neighboring areas are nationally most over-assessed low-income homeowners and most vulnerable to state law changes. HB 1167 in Rules, would provide homestead relief to individual property homeowners.  Under-assessing commercial properties and school funding system in those areas has more impact.  As new housing is built in South Suburbs, existing homes without remodeling can be mistakenly assessed at higher values because of the new housing higher sales prices.  These homeowners need to appeal and attest that their homes are not updated and should therefore be assessed lower than the new construction in the area.

Treasurer
July 23, 2026

Dave Burns, Chief of Staff for the Treasurer, Maria Pappas presented the mid-year budget update and reported on how the funds for the Treasurer’s office for the first six months of 2026 were spent. 
2026 so far:

• $19.1 million overall: $18.4m is in the automation account, per County ordinance, is composed of fees collected from commercial and bulk payers, not general revenue.  No anticipated financial concerns for the remainder of 2026. Not expected to exceed amount budgeted in corporate account
• 9 vacant positions:  8 in the special purpose funds and 1 in the corporate fund.
• Revenue from late payers is trending higher: Revenue budgeted for 2026 is $35m.  However, thru June received $33.8m. Reason: Dec 2025-Apr2026 collected $14m for second installment due in fiscal 2025. 2026 total revenue is projected to be $47.4m.

2026 highlights:

• Working on full implementation of Tyler Integrated Property Tax System (IPTS)
• Treasurer’s office is at the end of the life cycle of property taxes. Dependent on other offices being on time with accurate data to Tyler. Treasurer examines and tests Tyler tax bill file, finds defect and corrects before sending to printer. Continuing to find defects in refunds and distributions.
• Treasurer’s IT staff is committed to a smooth hand-off from retiring IT employees, managing IT data changes, and returning to AI implementation and utilization after the IPTS is stable.
• July 10, Governor signed Property Tax Reform Bill updating the tax sale auction system.
• Scavenger Sale phased out. If property is not sold to private tax buyer, then tax certification is held by the County to either deed (sell) outright or to deed to another municipality or Not-For-Profit.
• Expect that 2025 2nd installment property tax bills will be online on the Treasurer’s web site by mid-August and mailed bills go out in late August.  Payments will be due then by October 1, 2026.

Observer:  Victoria Cerinich

Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee Meeting
June 10, 2026

Most of the meeting was an update to the Board of Commissioners and the public on the measures that are being undertaken to improve the processes and oversight within the Property Tax System. Comm. Britton requested that each office reporting not rehash the problems that are well known but provide information on how they are addressing the problems that have been previously identified and plagued the system for a long time. He asked that they limit their remarks to 10 minutes so Commissioners would have time for questions. (Agenda Item 26-1230 - Received and Filed)

Summary of presentations and questions:

• Office of the President - Jim Thompson, Director of Property Tax Policy - Stated that the lack of clear authority and lack of collaboration among the several offices involved in the process underlie the structural problems of the system. He provided an outline/timeline of how the Assessor, the Board of Review (BOR), the Illinois Depart of Revenue (IDOR), the County Clerk, and the Treasurer are supposed to work together to determine what the tax should be, to provide for collection of the taxes, and then distribution of the money to the various bodies that are supported by the property taxes. He referred to the reform group that has been meeting with representatives from all the entities. They have been looking to determine changes that can be made. He also said that imposing a new computer system (Tyler) on top of the problems that already existed has been challenging as each entity has integrated the system on a different time line. Meetings with Tyler are now being held daily and work continues to fix the system.
• Assessor - Fritz Kaegi - He stated that each part of the system depends on others doing their work so that deadlines can be met. His office is now sharing methodology on tax rates with the BOR so that is going more smoothly. Once his office receives the information from the BOR (revised assessments and certificates of error - see the presentation from the BOR below) and enters the information into the Tyler system, the Assessor’s office sends information to IDOR. This year his office still had to do manual reconciliation of the data to be sent to IDOR, but next year all data should be in the Tyler system so manual reconciliation will not be required. When asked, he said the process is 1 1/2 to 2 months behind schedule this year. Data was sent to IDOR on June 10 so it can calculate the multiplier and then that information comes back to the Assessor before he can send everything on to the Clerk. The IDOR process usually takes from 7-10 days. Comm. Degnan asked how many problems (defects) remain in the Tyler system for the Assessor’s office. Mr. Kaegi stated that the office is 95% working within the Tyler system. Tom Lynch from the Cook County Department of Technology stated that the Assessor part of Tyler has been working okay - it is the tax administration functionality phase that is still being worked on. 
• Board of Review - William O’Shields, Chief Deputy Commissioner, Commissioners Steele and Cardenas – The BOR does not create an assessment - it reviews appeals of an assessment. The BOR also reviews certificates of error. The BOR is the first transfer of information after the Assessor. The appeal process allows for oral arguments and the decisions are to correct errors in the initial assessment.   The BOR sends the corrected assessments to the Assessor’s office for entry into the property tax system.   Comm. Cardenas stated that they are working to reduce the time frame for reviews and working more closely with the Assessor to align their approach. Comm. Steele stated that the BOR has 3 individual offices. each with their own staff of about 40 persons. Each office needs to hear every appeal. There were no questions from the Commissioners. 
• County Clerk – Chief Deputy Clerk Cedric Giles  - That office deals with tax rates and it is fully using the Tyler system. The office applies the tax rates to the information from the Assessor and that process takes about 16-20 days to complete. That office also manages the redemption payments after the tax sale and this process is still not fully functional on Tyler. 
• Treasurer - David Byrnes, Chief of Staff - Began by reading a letter from Treasurer Maria Pappas. Comm. Britton reminded him not to focus on the past but highlight what changes are being made to make the system work. Mr. Byrnes stated that 2500 tax bills from last year have still not been sent due to data issues in the Tyler system that still has an identified 214 defects (though not all of these are critical). Since those bills have not been sent, the tax income has not been determined and thus cannot be distributed. The 2500 that have not been sent are scattered throughout the County and there are 6-7 defects that are holding them up. Mark Hawkins from Tyler stated that last year the first set of bills was done still on the mainframe computer and the second was sent on Tyler. Part of the problem holding up the bills from last year was that there were inconsistencies between the data in the two systems.  This year everything is being done through Tyler so the data problem should not continue. 
• The latest date for the termination of the mainframe is now July 31, 2026. All offices are off the mainframe except for the Clerk’s office that still uses it for reference. The Assessor started using Tyler 3 years ago according to Tom Lynch (Chief Information Officer, Dept. of Technology). He also stated that all payments to Tyler are based on milestones being met. To maintain the mainframe costs about $7M/year and the hardware is so old it is no longer available and all employees who worked on it are now retired. Comm. Degnan pressed Tom Lynch to estimate the cost for all the problems that have occurred with the tax system and his estimate was about $20M. 

Prior to these presentations,

• Meeting began with Public Speakers that included Priscilla Mims speaking on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Cook County asking the Commissioners to encourage the local election authorities to provide a way for voters to submit their Vote-by-Mail Ballots at their local precincts on election day. In addition, there were 2 other speakers addressing Voting Rights; 8 speakers from entities that have not received their tax distributions for the year and asking that the tax system be fixed; and 4 other speakers making general comments. 
• An amendment to the ordinance about the process for filling vaccines of some of the separately elected County Offices was approved by the committee without comment. (26-1414) 
• A resolution calling for a hearing on Voting Rights was not discussed. (26-1409)

Observer:  Cynthia Schilsky

Cook County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee Meeting
November 3, 2025

Assessor - Fritz Kaegi and his Chief of Staff, Scott Smith
Proposed 2026 Budget: $42,945,727        Proposed 2026 FTEs:           315
Actual 2025 Budget:       $40,383,126       Actual 2025 Approved FTEs: 306
             Difference:        + $2,562,602           Difference:                               +9

Highlights from Assessor Kaegi’s presentation

• Since being elected, he has worked to have more fairness in assessments
• An independent study by the University of Chicago found that progress has been made to improve fairness of residential assessments. Regressivity (the tendency for lower priced properties to be assessed at higher rates, relative to their actual sale price, than higher priced properties) has been reduced.
• Working on more accuracy in commercial assessments as that will increase predictability for taxes on commercial properties. 
• Worked to get the Senior Freeze Income Threshold increased in the Illinois Legislature and it was approved. Continues to advocate for a Circuit Breaker Property Tax Relief bill that is designed to help homeowners who have a 25% spike year to year in their tax bill. 
• His office held 230 outreach events to ensure that tax payers are getting the exemptions to which they are entitled.
• Has established an Affordable Housing Special Assessment Program that has preserved 15,000 affordable rental units. 
• As part of the “Predictability: Roadmap to the Future,” committed to making the reforms necessary outlined in the plan and working with the Board of Review to use common tools and a unified approach to calculating assessments.
• Has filled 68 positions and has only 6 vacancies at present. Average time to hire an employee is now 63 days and overtime has been reduced by 50%.
• Proposed budget reflects request for 8 new positions for analysts and field inspectors. 

Commissioner Questions:

• Comm. Lowry asked about the CAP rate that is used to determine the assessed value of commercial properties. One element of that rate is the property taxes applicable to the property.  Mr. Kaegi said they are working with the Board of Review to adopt a consistent tax rate methodology stating that there is a problem if outdated tax rates are used. 
• Comm. Degnan asked about future legislative lobbying efforts. Working on (1) automatic renewal of the Senior Freeze; (2) Circuit Breaker Tax Relief Program; (3) Physical Descriptions Bill. They have 2 experienced people on their Policy Team working on these issues. Comm. Degnan also asked how their office gets information communicated to them about building permits that are issued. When a building permit is issued, the municipalities are supposed to submit the information to the township and the county assessor but the process is imperfect. That’s one reason he is hiring more permit verifiers. Comm. Degnan asked about the use of GIS technology and he said they are using drone technology but they contract this out and the technology may not be able to provide the type of inspections that would increase accuracy of assessments. 
• Comm. Trevor asked about the conversion to the Tyler system from the mainframe computer system and why running parallel systems had been stopped. Mr. Kaegi said that all involved had agreed to getting off of the mainframe in 2024 and that his office followed through on that agreement. Mr. Smith said it would be impossible to go back to uploading all data into the mainframe at this point, and while the transition to the Tyler system has seen delays, ultimately when the conversion is complete, it will be a better system. He said the tax bills should be coming out “very soon” although he was reluctant to give a specific date.
• Comm. Stamps wanted to know how the Assessor’s office could prevent gentrification and provide fair assessments for the black communities. Mr. Kaegi pointed out that houses under $250,000 were historically over-assessed, and his office has corrected that.  Lower assessments result in lower property taxes for those homeowners which should help to increase value in those homes. In addition, in 2021 the Affordable Housing Bill was approved which has an effect on renters who also are vulnerable to property tax increases. The Affordable Housing Bill allows for buildings with 7 or more units, if they maintain 15% of units tied to local income rather than market rates, to receive an assessment reduction. This has maintained about 15,000 units at affordable rates. The Assessor’s website has an Affordable Housing Data Map that shows where the units are. She also asked about a physical assessment of all properties that according to Board of Review Comm. Steele has not been done since the 1990’s. Mr. Kaegi stated that this has never been done because the office never has had the capability to do this - physically review all 1.8 M properties in Cook County. To do this would require tripling their budget for at least 7 years. Comm. Stamps asked if this was necessary to “right size” the process, and the Assessor said there are other ways to do that. In response to Comm. Stamps requests about the assessment process, Mr. Kaegi and Mr Smith referred her to the studies that have been done to evaluate their efforts that were included in their recently issued Annual report that can be found on the Assessor’s website.
• Comm. McCaskill asked what could be done about postponing the tax sale on delinquent properties, and the Assessor responded that the tax sale is under the Treasurer. She also asked about changing the school funding formula which again the Assessor said is not within his authority, but would require that the State provide more funding for schools. When asked about the number of properties that are not on the tax rolls, the Assessor responded that it is a very small number - less than 1% of all properties - and that is why he is requesting the additional positions in his office - to ensure that all properties are included in the assessment process and therefore included in tax collection. 
• Comm. Vasquez asked about the new hires requested. Mr. Kaegi stated that the new hires include 3 industrial/commercial property appeal analysts, 2 residential field inspectors, 1 commercial field analyst, 1 post-appeal residential analyst and 1 permit coordinator. Filling these positions will assist with post-appeal concerns as well as technical controls and quality control to ensure that there are no biases and that assessments are done correctly to begin with. She also wanted to know how information is communicated when appeals are rejected - could more information be included as to why they have been rejected. Mr. Scott said that real estate prices have increased substantially which is why assessments have increased but perhaps more information could be included in appeal rejection letters. 

Office of the Independent Inspector General (OIIG) – Inspector General (IG)Tyrell J. Paxton
Proposed 2026 Budget: $3,537,706             Proposed 2026 FTEs:           25
Actual 2025 Budget:      $2,812,173             Actual 2025 Approved FTEs: 20
         Difference:           +$  748,533             Difference:                    +5

Highlights from the OIIG’s presentation:

• Currently has 16 staff with 1 new investigator starting soon and actively seeking an Administrative Assistant. Still seeking to fill 2 open investigator positions. 
• Requesting 5 additional positions that will include 2 positions added to the Shakman Division and 3 positions added to the Compliance and Program Review Division. Neither has staff other than a division head. 
• So far this year they have processed over 800 complaints.
• 91% of the recommendations from the office for remedial action have been adopted by the agencies to which they were made. 
• Requests that a budgetary floor as a percentage of the overall County budget be established starting in 2027 to insure the independence of the office as it is very important that the OIIG is politically independent in appearance and in fact. 

Comm. Questions/Comments

• Several commissioners expressed appreciation to the IG for meeting with them regarding his request to have a budget floor established beginning in 2027.
• Comm. Degnan asked about possible new office space. Mr. Paxton said they are working with the County’s Real Estate Division to determine new space by next year. 
• Comm. Trevor asked about the time spent providing services to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) contract prior to their hiring their own IG. Mr. Paxton said that 2 investigators were devoted to the MWRD investigations so probably about 10% of the office’s time. 
• Comm. Stamps asked how the office ensures that there is no bias or delay in processing of complaints. Mr. Paxton stated that he does an initial review of all complaints and no report goes out without his review. The goal of the office is to turn around complaints in less than 180 days. 
• Comm. McCaskill asked how a budget floor would insure independence of the office. Mr. Paxton responded that those individuals who could be subjects of an investigation should not be the individuals determining the budget for the office.
• Comm. Vasquez wanted to know how many of the complaints actually become cases for investigation. Mr. Paxton replied that all complaints have to be reviewed even if they do not become an actual case. Some complaints are referred back to management or other entities for action if they are deemed not appropriate for an OIIG investigation. He did not have specific numbers but said they could get them if requested. 

Veterans Assistance Commission - Elizabeth Soto, Director - Grant Jacobson, Deputy Director and staff
Proposed 2026 Budget: $3,241,826         Proposed 2026 FTEs:              20
Actual 2025 Budget:       $2,749,020         Actual 2025 Approved FTEs:   15
Difference:                       +$492,806         Difference:                               +5

Highlights of Presentation by Ms. Soto and staff:

• The programs of the office continue to evolve. The Mission is to promote and assist veterans in receiving all services and benefits to which they are entitled.
• Began year with only 4 employees. Now have 12 of their allotted 15 positions filled.
• Originally had requested an additional 21 positions that would have expanded their numbers to 36. This budget provides for 5 additional positions for a total of 20.
• Want to expand offices to court houses to bring services to veterans where they live. 
• Originally requested funds for 7 vehicles to provide transportation for veterans and staff but proposed budget funds only 3.
• Veteran Service Officer (VSO) Program - training program to ensure that the VSOs are certified. Leads to staff expertise. Several types of training required as well a mentoring to learn the job. 322 hours of training are required. 
• 141,000 veterans live in Cook County.
• Work closely with other veteran’s organizations to provide services they do not provide - such as Mental Health services and car repair services. 
• Have only had 2 VSO’s to provide services. Want to have a VSO in all 17 Commissioner Districts to ensure that veterans are receiving their benefits.
• Expanding outreach to try to reach veterans - have office hours at various places.
• Also expanding data collection so they can keep track of what they are doing. 
• Provided all commissioners with new brochure that provides information on their services. 

Commissioner Questions/Comments:

• Comm. Lowry asked where veterans get their health care. Veterans can go to any emergency room for mental health care and will be covered by the VA. In Cook County fortunate to have specific veteran health care facilities where they can get care - Jessie Brown VA Hospital and Hines VA Hospital. 
• Comm. Aguilar asked if they have enough resources for direct disbursements to veterans. Ms. Soto said they are now expending about $100,000/month in direct services. Not meant to be long term assistance but to help them get the services they need to become self-sufficient
• Comm. Morita commended them for the expansion of their services over the last few years.
• Comm. Stamps asked about the possibility of having a mobile unit to provide services. No plans right now but wanting to expand to locations throughout the county. She also asked if more could be done online. Ms. Soto said they still use paper for all their records, 
• Many of the commissioners expressed their willingness to use their offices for outreach and providing services to veterans. 

Secretary of the Board - Lynne Turner
Proposed 2026 Budget: $2,440,075         Proposed 2026 FTEs:            13
Actual 2025 Budget:       $2,321,193        Actual 2025 Approved FTEs: 13
   Difference:                    +$118,881        Difference:                               0

Highlights of Presentation:                            

• Of their allocated 13 positions 12 are now filled.  The one opening is for a Legal Counsel.
• The Archives Division is growing rapidly - Cook County Historic Archives and Records Office (CARO). Projects include doing podcasts and encouraging people to come tell their stories about Cook County and recording those stories.
• CARO is challenged for space and looking at 4 separate locations with the necessary environmental controls and accessibility for their division to expand. Also looking for a person with data expertise.

Commissioner Questions/Comments:

• Comm. Lowry asked about the vision for the Archives and what is being done about the County’s bicentennial planning. Response was that CARO had hoped to find a spot within the “County footprint,” but that is proving difficult because of the environmental needs for preserving the materials. Bicentennial planning is ongoing so anyone with suggestions can put them forward. Planning on having 200 events/items that will be leading up to the 200th anniversary of Cook County.
• Comm. Lowry and Degnan both asked about the status of hiring Legal Council to provide legal services to the commissioners. Ms. Turner stated that filling the position has proven difficult. Comm. Degnan said 2 years seems a long time for filling the Legal Council position.
• Comm. Degnan asked about the status of the new office space for the commissioners. Ms. Turner said that on Nov. 17 each commissioner would be asked to select their new space on either the 5th floor or floor 3 1/2 and they would pack up their offices then and work remotely while their offices are moved, with occupancy planned for December 8. 
• Comm. Stamps asked if they needed more staff in the Secretary’s office and the response was that they will need more staff but the office adhered to the budget request for no additional staff requests this year.  But with the new location for CARO, more staff will be needed next year.
• Comm. Vasquez stated that the orientation provided by the Secretary’s office was amazing. She also stressed the importance of maintaining historic records.  Ms. Turner said she wanted to include information about each of the city neighborhoods in the Archives and would be reaching out to Comm. Vasquez for assistance. 

Comm. Daley then reminded all the commissioners that amendments are due by Thursday, Nov. 6 and any amendments must be budget neutral. Meeting was recessed until Nov. 20.

Observer - Cynthia Schilsky

Cook County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee
July 28, 2025, afternoon

Land Bank Authority - Jessica Caffrey, Executive Director and Daniel Taylor, Finance Manager 
Began with slide presentation - Highlights include:

• They have already met their revenue goal of $5M for the year
• They received no ARPA funding
• Maintained their rate of 88% of properties sold going to homeowners which is a focus of their efforts
• So far this year they have generated $29M of their goal of $30M in Community Wealth
• They have acquired 254 properties this fiscal year with a goal of 500 for the year.
• Working to reduce aged inventory which is 2086 properties and they have reduced by 6% so far this year. 
• Have one open position with an allocation of 19FTE’s - looking for a Planning Analyst to work on a plan for dealing with delinquent tax properties

Commissioner Comments and Questions:

• Comm. Gainer explained that Community Wealth is measured by the increase in property value after rehabilitation of the property. This will lead to an increase in tax revenue for the County. She also commended Ms. Caffrey for her excellent leadership in managing the Land Bank and restoring it to its pre-pandemic level of being self-sustaining. 
• Comm. Anaya asked about the Land Bank using modular homes. Ms. Caffrey says this may happen in the future but the ones done so far were not done on Land Bank properties. Also she asked about working with small developers and their outreach services were described. The Land Bank hosts sessions for small developers and non-profits to see how they can work together to develop vacant properties. 
• Comm. McCaskill asked about the selection process for the properties. Once properties are acquired the Land Bank is responsible for the upkeep so they do not take all available properties. Also working with municipalities to deal with vacant land. 
• Comm. Vasquez asked about Affordable Housing projects. Ms. Caffrey said they don’t see themselves as creating affordable housing projects but as ensuring there is naturally occurring affordability.  
• Comm. Stamps asked whether the housing was being developed and purchased by persons in the communities and Ms. Caffrey said yes they were. 
• Comm. Britton asked for a breakdown of city/suburban development. Ms. Caffrey stated she would get that information to him. He would like to see the Land Bank come to his area to perhaps expand the possibilities of affordable housing. Comm. Gainer stated that a way was to get someone to donate land and work with the Land Bank to find a developer. 
• Comm. Trevor asked about possibilities for vacant commercial properties. Donations are accepted by the Land Bank and the criteria are listed on their website. 
• Comm. Lowry thanked the Land Bank for their work and Comm. Daley commended Comm. Gainer and Ms. Caffrey for their work and Comm. Gainer said the Land Bank team is what makes this work as this is not “a philosophy job but an execution job” and they do great work. 

Veterans Assistance Commission - Elizabeth Soto, Director - Grant Jacobson, Deputy Director
Highlights from presentation:

• Ms. Soto stated that they were under budgeted expenses at the present time due to slow hiring. They have 15 positions allocated and 5 vacancies.
• They would like to hire a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) for each district. 
• Outreach to veterans has been a focus of their work as well. 

Commissioner Comments and Questions:

• Comm. Anaya asked about how they coordinate with other veerans’ organizations and if they have a constituent that requests service where should they send them. Mr. Jacobson held up a new booklet that contains all the information for veterans and it was distributed to all the commissioners. He said that all veterans should be sent to them for coordination of services.
• Comm. Trevor stated that she has lots of veterans in her district and would gladly offer her office for any outreach they would like to do. Mr. Jacobson stated that they are soon opening two new locations for veteran services - one at 69 W. Washington and the other at the Rolling Meadows Court House. 
• Comm. Aguilar inquired about a federal grant that was cancelled and wanted to know if they were going to reapply. He was informed that they saw no need to reapply as the new restrictions on the grant would preclude them from getting it. 
• Comm. Degnan asked about the services they provided. She was informed that they help with disability and pension claims and can can help get them to partner institutions such as the Jesse Brown Medical Center and Hines VA Hospital. There are 141,000 veterans in Cook County. 

Assessor - Fritz Kaegi
Key points from his presentation to the commissioners:

• His office has been working on Transparency and Outreach.
• He attended the meeting of National Association of Counties (NACo) last week and the assessors from other large counties were there. They drafted a policy recommendation concerning data sharing that was approved by NACo.
• Have been able to fill many of their vacant positions and anticipate only 9 vacancies by the end of the year. 
• He is advocating at the state level that the Senior Freeze become an automatic renewal. 
• He states that he is on track with his part of the Road Map that was developed for making the tax process more fair in Cook County.
• He states that what is still needed is: 1. Making  commercial assessments more fair and 2. Enacting a Tax Relief Program (Circuit Breaker)

Commissioner Comments and Questions:

• Comm. Degnan asked about tax rates and Mr. Kaegi stated that part of the Road Map deals with this and he says that is the most important recommendation in the report. They need to work with the Board of Review (BOR) to refine their methodology and determine how the tax rates are going to be used. Tax rates in Cook County are volatile and this needs to be addressed. She also asked about hiring and he stated they have hired 40 people and anticipate only 9 vacancies by year end but he is proposing 21 new positions for next year to increase the number of commercial analysts. 
• Comm. Aguilar asked about how the transition to the Tyler system is progressing. Mr. Kaegi referred him to the dashboard and said they did the hard work of switching in 2021 and now the other offices (the BOR and the Treasurer) have to do the hard work and he supports them in their efforts. 
• Comm. McCaskill asked about what can be done to help the southern area of Cook County which just can’t keep up with the increasing assessments. Mr. Kaegi again referred to the Road Map that was developed in December and outlines what needs to be done by those involved and what can be worked on with legislative action. He said that Certificates of Error (for those who overpaid) will be issued as soon as the Treasurer’s Office goes live on the new system. 
• Comm. Stamps wanted to know why tax rates vary, Mr. Kaegi said that the tax rates are a reflection of house value as the formula is levy/value of property in the tax base. To help equalize this he thinks that the Homeowners Exemption should be increased and the proposed Circuit Breaker program in the state legislature should be approved. It would provide assistance for those homeowners that get a spike in their tax bills. 
• Comm. Trevor was concerned with the income levels that determine eligibility for the Senior Exemption. They perhaps need to be adjusted. 
• Comm. Daley asked about the appeal rate of success. Kaegi stated that 1 in 4 are successful at the Assessor level and you are better off to apply on your own than use a lawyer. 
• Comm. Britton stated that his district has lots of appeals. Mr. Kaegi stated that 90% of reductions are in commercial properties. 

Secretary to the Board - Lynne Turner
Highlights from her presentation:

• This office has 13 allocated positions and hiring has been going well with only 1 vacant position for a Legal Counsel which she hopes will be filled soon. 
• Office’s primary goal is to provide support to the Board and Tim Casey is the Legislative Director. Responsibilities  of the Legislative Unit include managing legistar, ensuring that notices meet requirements, creating agendas and minutes, videos, dealing with comments etc.
• The new Board Room will have electronic voting so they will be dealing with that change.
• Victoria Sockwell is in charge of the Archives Unit for the office that will preserve and provide records. Now doing an inventory of all items and planning for a new facility. Eventually will digitize paper records. Discovered a Time Capsule from 1906. Planning for Bicentennial in 2031 and will have a new Time Capsule. 

Commissioner Comments and Questions:

• Thanks from Comm. Daley, Lowry, Britton, Trevor, Aguilar and Stamps for the assistance from her office and for their great work.
• Comm. Anaya also expressed thanks and then asked about the timeline for the new Board Room and the Commissioner’s Offices. Ms. Turner says her understanding is that there will be substantial completion of the Board Room by December. A representative from Asset Management indicated that his understanding is that offices will be ready by September. She also asked about the County Historian. Ms Turner stated that the ordinance is for a volunteer and at present that position is not filled. 
• Comm. Anaya also asked about an ordinance recognizing the female commissioners. Ms. Turner stated that they are researching to be sure they include all women and hopefully an ordinance will be introduced in September. 

Observer - Cynthia Schilsky

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

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