Cook County Board Finance Committee – Mid-Year  Budget Hearings
July 25, 2023 - Afternoon Meetings

Inspector General – Steven Cyranoski, Interim IG.  
$2.3 million Preliminary 2024 budget

• At midterm, 15% below 2023 budget.  Year-end projection:  Under Budget
• Budgeted for 19 FTE’s.  Currently: 3 vacancies [IG, Deputy IG, Investigator]
• No commissioner questions

Public Administrator – Louis Apostal.   $1.7 million self-funded 2024

• 738 investigations to find rightful inheritance ownership
• 70 properties under management
• 15 full-time staff – unionized office.  5 outside attorneys
• 2024 budget will increase by $137,000 – primarily increased compensation costs

Cook County Clerk – Karen Yarborough.   $20.6 million Preliminary 2024 budget

• Chief Election Officer and responsible for maintaining and providing vital records
• No longer under Shakman and received several compliments for achievement
• Increased vacancies of between 25-30 due to retirement and termination
• Elections:  Additional language ballots will be offered along with information sheets in that language.
• Commissioner Aquilar asked why a pension deduction was taken out of Election Judges checks. Ans:  there is a glitch in the system which is being addressed.  
• Availability of Election Judges was a question:  Ans:  The shortfall has been filled by veterans, community college students that can earn a credit for taking a course on being an election judge, civics, and cyber security.
• Question:  Security of elections and voting by mail.  Ans:  Election ballot drop boxes are located at early voting sites and are monitored.

Board of Review [BOR] – Cardenas, Steele, Rogers.  
$18 million Preliminary 2024 budget

• Currently, analysts are working 20 hours mandatory overtime to get appeals processed and sent to the next office for mailing out the 2022 tax bills which are already late.
• The BOR asked for money to bring each of the 3 Districts to 50 analysts.  Currently a total of 105 analysts.  Daley asked if granted, could the Board guarantee that the tax bills will go out on time.  Ans:  No as there are too many other offices involved in the process.  Said it is anticipating 400,000 appeals in 2024.  The previous analyst ratio was 1-1200 appeals.  Now 1-1600 appeals.
• Steele, who has 17 years in the Assessment Industry including the CC Assessor’s office, noted that the Assessor looks at properties in comparable groups while the BOR reviews each property individually.  
• Steele published a BOR report for 2022 and is in the process of working on a Standards Manual.
• February’s request for a cost comparison between switching to or fully integrating with the Tyler system should be ready in late August.  Cardenas noted that the BOR has just two IT employees.
• Cardenas said that transparency is at the front of the BOR’s mission, and that it has already reduced the appeal time by 6 weeks.  He also said the website has been improved as have FOIA responses

Land Bank – Jessica Caffrey, Executive Director.  Primarily self-funded
Ms. Caffrey is relatively new to the Land Bank having worked for the County in previous roles including coordinating the development of the Old Stroger Hospital and the building of the Cook County Health’s Administrative Building on Polk.

• The Land Bank’s goal is to “create the market” by acquiring 4-5 houses per block in a blighted area which can change the entire block and market
• It acquires vacant, available property through tax sales and other means
• 96% of all its properties are resold to homeowners
• $9.8 million in real estate value has been created in Inglewood
• Created $2.5 million in revenues as of May 1, 2023
• Reduced aged inventory which is property that is on the books over two years
• Staff:  13 positions including 3 vacancies.

​Observer:  Diane Edmundson

Cook County Board of Commissioners (CCBC) Meeting
February 9, 2023

Board Action:

• CCBC approved resolution from the Technology and Innovation Committee for Cost Comparison Assessment and Action Plan from Bureau of Technology and Board of Review on Technology Software. This will provide a comparison to calculate cost to County of creating an integrated automation platform technology to transfer data. The written report of cost comparison will describe and prepare an action plan based on the report’s results.  Report is due within 90 days of enactment of resolution. Several Board members commented on the discussion in committee and that members recognized it could be helpful in resolving a long-time issue. Com. Degnan noted that extra time could be provided should Bd of Review require it (23-1174). Approved.
• Cook County Covid-019 Response Financial Report passed to Receive and File.  The report serves as an update on Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF), FEMA PA, Emergency Rental Assistance, and American Rescue Plan Act Grant allocations, 3/1/2020-1/20/2023.  Per the Report, the County’s CARES Act allocation is 100% expended with final report delivered to US Treasury last month. (23-1268) 
• Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot Status Update passed to Receive and File. Potential participants were evaluated and interviewed for eligibility and a lottery was used to select the 3250 persons participating.  Surveys of participants, data collection, and update reports will continue for this 24-month pilot program. (23-0469)
• Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways reported on projects including an intergovernmental agreement with Metra for improvements to Chicago State University Metra station. County will reimburse Metra for its share of construction and construction management costs. Both items referred to the Transportation Committee. (23-1063, 23-1074)

Of Interest:

• Resolution honoring Jesse White was deferred. (23-0992)

Observer - Carolyn Cosention

Cook County Board of Commissioners (CCBC) Committee Meetings 
Feb. 7-8, 2023                

Finance Committee

• Cook County Health: Cook County Comptroller, Lawrence Wilson, reported Dec. 2022 balances. A  net favorable revenue balances of $52 M in General Fund and $49M in Health Fund.  State payments to Health Fund with $206M owed, including Medicaid, state direct and pass-through grants have been competed for 2022. CCH Chief Financial Officer, Pam Cassara, reported a net favorable net balance for expenses and revenues for Dec 2022. ​Receive and File, approved (23-1209).
• Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot Status Report:  Slide presentation of highlights and discussion with commissioners was led by Dom Tocci, Deputy Bureau Chief, CC Bureau of Economic Development, Pete Subkoviak, Director of Guaranteed Income and Economic Mobility, CC Bur. Of Ec Dev., Sarah Moran GiveDirectly, US Country Director, and Misuzu Schexnider, Program Director for Univ Chgo Inclusive Economy Lab. They represent the main components of this 24-month guaranteed income pilot. It is funded through AARPA. Of the $42.5M total for the county program, $39M goes to participants, $2.5M (8.5%) goes to administration, outreach, and evaluation costs. Prior to this committee meeting, each commissioner met with these groups.
  
• Here are some details from the presentation and discussion: A total of 3,250 households in Cook County are receiving $500 a month for 24 months. A manual review of 12,000 applicants was conducted; a full list of instruments used for the verification process can be provided. 83% of participants live in the suburbs. If their income status improves during this period, they remain in the program.  Application assistance, outreach, and benefits counseling are provided by GiveDirectly throughout the county in multiple languages. There is a control group comprised of applicants who were eligible but not selected to receive funds. Monthly, they conduct a 2-question survey to ensure participants received payments and to check for accuracy of accounts.  Payments began Dec. 2022 through either direct debit or loadable debit accounts.  Working Credit, a national non-profit, provides education on credit for participants and 1-1 credit-building counseling for 1 year, more if requested.  All participants, including those in control group, are eligible for financial counseling.  The data from the pilot is being compiled by the Univ. of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab; they are also processing data from the Chicago pilot. The County’s 2-year collection of data is expected to give more reliable results than the typical 12-month pilots. Commissioners requested that results include information from detailed breakdown of race and ethnicity of participants. Commissioners were also assured that data at the end of the process would be quantitative, not just qualitative. Motion to Receive and file report was approved (23-0548).  Video of this meeting is available.

Environment and Sustainability Committee

• Resolution in Support of Environmental Justice: Resolution affirms CCBC will assess internal policy and procedures to ensure environmental justice, prioritize projects that will help address past harms in communities impacted by environmental injustice, and work with environmental justice leaders and organizations to adopt a Cook County Environmental Policy by the end of 2024.  Motion to accept 23-1092 as substituted. Passed

Technology and Innovation Committee

• Resolution Requesting Cost Comparison Assessment and Action Plan from Bureau of Technology and Board of Review on Technology and Soft Solutions:  This resolution is intended to address replacing the 40 year old mainframe system with an integrated appraisal and tax administration software solution. Resolutions states the report to Commissioners will be due within 90 days of passage of resolution. Officials from Bd of Review, Bureau of Technology, and Assessors Office were present to answer questions from commissioners. The concerns by CCBC had been expressed in the Jan. 2023 meeting. The resolution is intended to provide numbers for the comparison.  Discussion extended over an hour.   Tom Lynch, Bureau of Technology, stated 60 days was adequate to complete their portion of the comparison.   Board of Review Com. Cardenas, incoming Chair, has been in office 2 months. He stated he has held meetings in his district and within the department; he stated he is aware that with technology there are always better ways to work. The Board of Review has 2 IT workers to address operational issues in the department of 150 analysts working on appeals. He stated that IT would not be able to work with new technology and at the same time respond to analysts’ needs, including new employees, and equipment issues that occur as they work with appeals. Com. Rogers from Board of Review ( BoR) stated many times that the timeline was not realistic since tax bills are now being processed. Appeals are being conducted. He stated tax bills will be late this year and that as of Feb. 1, the BoR has received 22 of 38 township assessments.  So late billing will be the result of not receiving all the assessments from Assessor for appeals. Normally, he stated, all assessments would be with BoR by early December. Currently, they are hearing appeals. BoR Com. Steele stated all commissioners were invited to see the draft of the resolution; she apologized if Rogers did not receive a copy of the draft when it was distributed. Scott Smith of Assessor’s Office stated they have met with new commissioners and have a tentative agreement over a calendar for the next round of assessments. He also stated that the BoR had by now (2/8/23) received all the township assessments. Com. Morrisson asked whether BoR would have all the information needed from Assessor’s Office to complete all assessments if it was off the mainframe and interfaced with the system it used.  “Yes” was the answer from the Assessor’s Office. Com Degnan stated multiple times that the intent of the resolution was to shine a light on costs when comparing use of 2 systems vs 1 system. She stated that the CCBC could take a request for more time if a reasonable explanation is provided.  She stated that the CCBC could not force the BoR to join the interfaced system used by 3 departments involved in the process.  Resolution was approved with vote of 6 Aye, 1 Nay, 2 Present. (23-1174)  Video is available.

Carolyn Cosentino, Observer

Cook County Board Committee Meetings
Jan. 24, 25, & 26, 2023

In several of the meetings of the Cook County Board Committees, Commissioners raised the need for more data and identifying up front what the goals and measures should be for determining whether particular programs were worth the expenditures.  For example:

• In the Health & Hospitals Committee, the Public Health Department reported on several campaigns, including those to boost the number of people who have obtained the latest Covid booster shot, and a “Here to Hear You” program with regard to providing mental health services.  Commissioner Miller asked for a report at the next meeting on ways to track the impact of these efforts.
• During that same meeting, Commissioner Miller asked where to look up where health disparities exist in the County.  There is a Health Atlas that is published online by the County, and Commissioner Miller asked for a briefing on this at the next meeting.

 

• In the Finance Committee, there was a long discussion about the extension and increase of a contract with Deloitte Consulting to provide recruiting and other related services for the Bureau of Human Relations.  Commissioners Gainer and Degnen wanted to know how the Bureau will determine the degree to which the various marketing/recruiting strategies are effective so they can determine where to put their money in the future.  
• In a related topic, the same Commissioners, along with Sean Morrison, asked for data as to the time it took from when a department notified it had a need for an employee until the position is filled.  The Commissioners asked that the information include any time that elapses prior to the posting of the job, including any time necessary to create a job description and any time necessary for the Budget Department to approve that the position is authorized under the department’s budget.  Commissioner Gainer explained that having such data is crucial for determining where the process might be speeded up.

 

• In the Technology Committee, Commissioner Degnen asked for a cost comparison assessment to analyze (a) the costs of maintaining two separate systems, including creating an interface between the Board of Review’s system and the County-wide Property Tax System which includes the Assessor’s office now and will encompass the other two offices involved with the property tax system (the Clerk and Treasurer) vs. (b) expanding the County-wide system to include the Board of Review.  This request was formally included as an item on the next day’s Board meeting, where it was referred to the Technology Committee.  (Item 23-1174)

• During the Contract Compliance meeting, the consultants who prepared the Cook County 2022 Disparity Study gave a presentation.  One of their recommendations is that the County develop performance measures for determining the success of the County’s affirmative action program.  Commissioner Miller, Chair of the Committee, said that there would be a subsequent meeting to review the plan developed by the Contract Compliance Department to implement the Disparity Study’s recommendations.

Other Items of Note:

• While the meetings are being held in the Board room, at each meeting there was a motion to authorize some of the committee members to participate remotely.  However, in order to hold the meeting at all, a quorum (i.e. simple majority) of the committee members must be physically present.  This proved to be a problem for the Subcommittee on Workers’ Compensation which had to postponed on Jan. 24, and again at a re-scheduled time on Jan. 25.  The meeting was finally held on Jan. 26 when 3 of the 5 members were present in the Board room.
• At the Finance Committee meeting, the Comptroller reported that the preliminary analysis of the revenues and expenses for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2022 shows favorable balances of $357 Million in the General Fund and $366 Million in the Health Fund.  However, the Comptroller also pointed out that these balances are on a cash basis.  Cook County Health uses the accrual basis, which provides a truer picture of the financial situation at Cook County Health.  
• During the Environment & Sustainability Committee meeting, at which the Environmental Commission’s 2022 Annual Report was received and filed, Commissioner Trevor raised the concern that multi-family buildings in the suburbs are not covered by municipal recycling programs.  Commissioner Miller would like to get a list of municipalities that have recycling programs and those who do not.

Observer:  Priscilla Mims

Cook County Board of Commissioners Committee Meetings
November 16, 2022 

Finance Committee – 9:30 am

• Comm. Suffedin explained the intention of this Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) is to provide additional research on property tax systems, ways to get bills out sooner, and to provide clarity on disparities using CMAP research. Com. Suffredin moved, Sylvestri seconded. Approved.  Will be on Board agenda tomorrow. (Agenda Item 22-6131)
  
• The ordinance is for a Fiscal Note, that is a feasibility study amendment to the ordinance to make clear the financial impact of the ordinance which would extend paid parental leave to 12 weeks for full-time county employees. Next month this will be offered at the Forest Preserve District Board meeting. This will align county policy with federal and city policies.  Com Degnan moved, Com Miller seconded the measure. Approved. (Agenda Item 22-6090) 

Environment & Sustainability Committee – 10 am
(Agenda Item 22-6140)   Com. Degnan moved, Miller seconded this ordinance amendment. The Environmental Commission has served as advisors to Board on environmental matters for the past 4 years. The ordinance was passed in 2019; this extends the sunset date of this Environmental Commission by 4 yr.  Com Degnan explained the commission selected 3 goals for its first 4 years:

• Industrial Composting – Landfills are filling up; this compost can be used for areas adjacent to roadways; talking with IDOT, CCOT, and CDOT. Compost could be made saleable.  Looking at expanding to food and waste composting. 
• Planting 1,000 trees – they have planted 300 and have also provided seeds for native plants
• Pollination Gardens and Plantings – The Commission worked with aldermen to change classifications of weeds so this work could go forward on parkways.

Other commissioners gave examples of many opportunities for working with local environmental groups, some of which have already been developed. Motion was approved.

Technology & Innovation Committee – 11:30 am
(Agenda Item 22-5023) Motion made by Comm. Sean Morrison, seconded by Comm. Degnan to receive and file. The item was deferred last month because the Board of Review (BOR) was absent when they were expected to give updates on the process and expected date for being off the main frame and being fully integrated with the systems of the Assessor and related departments.

Charles O’Shields, Chief Deputy Commissioner from BOR, stated no timeline given applied to the BOR, no timeline was developed for BOR to exit off mainframe.  He stated their tech improvements were demonstrated by their work in 2021. 

​Chief Information Officer (CIO) Tom Lynch and Derrick Thomas, Deputy CIO, responded to questions from commissioners.  Their statements indicated the following:

• While the BOR was not part of the original project using Tyler Rs modules, they are part of the project because of the work originally contemplated. 
• There is a timeline; it applies to all stakeholders.
• The BOR. has engaged a vendor to do data discovery for interface and integration. They are now looking at vendors to provide service; procurement process is long. 
• By Q4-2023, that is Sept.-Oct. 2023, all interfaces should be in place for 2-way exchange because mainframe will no longer be in use. When asked directly, Thomas stated he could not answer definitively if it was feasible to complete procurement process and complete all work necessary. 
• When asked by Comm. Degnan what would happen if the main frame unit were shut down and the BOR is not off the main frame - Thomas stated bills would be late.

Commissioners’ questions and statements indicated their dissatisfaction with the level of progress at the BOR and concern for citizens facing the possibility of late property tax bills again in 2023 which in turn mpacts the entities that rely on the property taxes. 

Committee Chairperson Kevin Morrison asked Mr. O’Shields to attend the Jan. meeting of the Technology Committee and be prepared to provide an update of the Board of Review’s strategic plan; it should include a report on RFP progress and timeline.  “OK” was Mr. Shield’s answer.

State’s Attorney’s Office representative Matt Steiner presented the update on their office.  An apology, explanation of absence, and assurance that this would not recur were given. Process for getting off main frame began with Juvenile System which is on the mainframe; adult system is not. It began with a discovery process which involved integration of cases, data mapping, identifying risk points and developing 2-point solutions to address those.  He stated they are on track to be off mainframe by August, 2023. 

Motion to Receive and File reports was approved.

Carolyn Cosentino, LWVCC Observer

Cook County Finance Committee Meetings on the Budget
October 24, 2022, 12:30 pm-3:30 pm

Public Defender (“PD”) -- Presented by Public Defender Sherone R. Mitchell Jr.  
                        2022         Proposed 2023
Budget            86.2 M              96.9 M
FTE                   747                     803
Mr. Mitchell’s main issue was the need to hire more attorneys so that the caseload for each lawyer can be reduced.   Now it is above the average of other large city public defender offices.  This office uses the County HR department, and it is taking 4-6 months from posting to start date for new attorneys.   The PD  has started an Immigration Unit Pilot program to help non-residents in immigration removal proceedings.  The PD will establish a pretrial division to handle the extra work required by the Pretrial Fairness Act.

Commissioners Degnan and Gainer expressed concern about the length of time in the hiring process.   Commissioner Gainer asked if the ARPA or Equity Funds could be utilized to help the situation.   She also suggested the PD get its own HR hiring department like the State’s Attorney has.  Commissioner Daily pointed out that the State’s Attorney was a separate office.

State’s Attorney -- Presented by Kim Foxx, State’s Attorney
                        2022         Proposed 2023
Budget            195.7 M              194.1 M
FTE                  1,432                  1,475
Ms. Foxx said the Office was ready for the Pretrial Fairness Act.  She said that there has been a lot of mis-information about the law.   Ms. Foxx is working with legislators to clarify the statute, and they hope to get the changes in during the veto session.  The attrition in the Office is high but on a par with other State’s Attorney Offices.  There are 107 vacancies out of 746 attorney positions.   There are 237 total vacancies.   It takes 3-4 weeks from job posting to a candidate starting.

Commissioner Gainer asked if there would be enough State’s Attorneys to handle the additional work required by the Pretrial Fairness Act.   Commissioner Morrison asked how the process will be different in January.  Ms. Foxx explained the changes and that the judge still has the power to hold an offender if he is a threat or a flight risk.   Commissioner Morrison also asked Ms. Foxx to review the prosecution discretion policies that she has established in regard to retail theft and low-level drug offences.  He also asked that she set up a commission with suburban police chiefs to discuss the policies, and she agreed to do that.  

Commissioners Aguilar and Daley expressed concern about the high crime rate and its affect on the public.   Ms. Foxx reviewed the high conviction rate of her office and said the issue is that there are low arrest rates.   

Board of Review (“BOR”) -- Presented by  Larry Rogers Jr. and  Michael Carbonargi, two of the BOR Commissioners.  Commissioner Tammy Wendt did not participate
                        2022         Proposed 2023
Budget             16 M               17.8 M
FTE                    151                  156
Mr. Rogers stated that the 2nd installment property tax bills will be issued by Thanksgiving and due by December 30th. He also stated that the BOR asked for an increase of 26 FTE, but were only approved 5 FTE.  He said the appeals process for the BOR takes 10 months.   Since they got the final township assessments in December instead of July last year, the tax bills were delayed for this year.  Rogers expects the bills will be delayed next year, too.   Mr. Rogers says that the BOR needs the extra staff to help with the processing delays.

Commissioner Dailey asked Finance Officer Annette Guzman to review the request for more staff.   Commissioner Gainer asked about the progress in the adoption of the Tyler system and both Mr. Rogers and Mr. Carbonargi said she should ask the Bureau of Technology.  Commissioner Daily pointed out that the BOR did not participate at the Technology Committee meeting last week.  Mr. Rogers said they submitted an updated report.

Land Bank Authority --Presented by  Director of the Land Bank Eleanor Gorski
                        2022         Proposed 2023
Budget            10.7 M              5.2 M
FTE                   15                      15
Ms. Gorski reviewed the activities of the Land Bank.   1200 properties were put back on the tax roles.   The agency has a goal to reduce its aged inventory.    It also has a grant of 5M from the Equity Fund to establish affordable housing on current Land Bank property.   Commissioner Morrison asked who will make the decisions about those funds and it will be the Board of Directors of the Land Bank with community input. 


Secretary to the Board of Commissioners -- Presented by Secretary Lynne Turner
                        2022         Proposed 2023
Budget            1.8 M              2.0 M
FTE                   11                     12
The office provides legislative support and information to County Offices and the public as well as maintains the County Archives and Records Office.   There were over 1000 public comments to the Board meetings this year.   They will begin closed-captioning of meetings and are exploring electronic voting, which is contingent on in-person meetings.

Observer:  Kathi Graffam