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

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

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

Meeting with State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx

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

Meeting with the office of the Chief Judge Timothy Evans

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

Meeting with Inspector General Tirrell Paxton

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

Meeting with Secretary to the Board Lynne Turner

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

Meeting with Veterans Assistance Commission Head Elizabeth Soto

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

Meeting with Public Defender Sharone R. Mitchell, Jr.

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

Observers:  Priscilla Mims and Karin Hribar

Cook County Board Finance Committee 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

Cook County Finance Committee Meetings on the Budget
October 26, 2022, 9 am to 2:30 pm

The Sheriff said there should be little impact on the jail population in Cook County as a result of the SAFE-T Act going into effect on January 1, 2023.  The Chief Judge explained the differences between the criteria for holding people in jail prior to trial in criminal cases now and after January 1.  

Following are more details of the meetings with these two officials, as well as the meeting on the Capital Budget.

Office of the Sheriff -– Presented by Sheriff Tom Dart

• Because of the changes in the way bail has been set in Cook County courts since 2018 he expects that the SAFE-T Act will have little impact on the jail population.  Estimated maybe 100 current detainees will have their bail reviewed, and thinks there may be some more people accused of domestic violence ordered detained.
• Says that he still thinks there are more people being released (mainly on electronic monitoring, “EM”) than should be because there is not enough distinction among those charged with gun violations.  (See more on this below in the Chief Judge’s section.)
• Wants to have budget amended to fund purchase of a new helicopter to help in fighting crime across the County.  Says only have 2 now (from 1994 and 2006), with the ability to borrow another from the County’s Homeland Security department at times.  Another helicopter would reduce dangerous, high-speed pursuits.  Contrasted the larger number of helicopters for New York, LA, and Harris County, Texas.  The Budget Department is analyzing the request and looking where money could be found.
• Explained that jail population has changed.  Majority now are there accused of violent crimes, rather than substance abuse, as in the past.  Many of the past efforts and programs were directed to helping those released from jail to successfully go back to their communities.  Now, however, most of the detainees are leaving the jail after trial to go to prison and not back to the community.
• Says that 2 main proximate causes of violence now are (1) availability of guns, and (2) social media where people’s rhetoric escalates and there is no cooling off period.  (These causes apart from all the social issues.)
• In addition to policing the unincorporated areas and Robbins and Ford Heights, and providing services for a number of other suburbs pursuant to agreements, the Sheriff has focused on violence in Chicago.  Since opening an office in Austin on the west side of Chicago, there has been a 20% reduction in shootings in that neighborhood.  More recently, opened an office at 500 N. Clark, and will be moving into larger quarters at State and Chicago.  Besides providing a police presence, also have a unit to deal with homelessness, another to deal with people in crisis, and a K-9 unit to help patrol El platforms.  Roll call for eviction and service of process has been moved from the Daley Center to Chinatown to provide a greater police presence there.
• Has about 400 vacancies.  Recently went to Kentucky and North Carolina to recruit military veterans with some success.

Office of the Chief Judge -– Presented by Chief Judge Timothy Evans

• Said that under current law, the State’s Attorney must file a petition to hold a criminal defendant in jail prior to trial.  Then the judge at the bail hearing has to hold there is at least one of these situations to grant the petition: (1) that the proof has to be evident or the presumption is great that the preponderance of the evidence points to the defendants and that they pose a clear and present threat to a person or community and there are no mitigating factors; and/or (2) there is clear evidence the defendants are a flight risk.
• Under the SAFE-T Act, there are certain felonies that are excluded from consideration of the first situation, and in those cases, defendants can only be held if a current flight risk.  The other difference is that if there is a petition to hold, there is a separate hearing on whether to detain presided at by a second judge.
• Responding to Comm. Sean Morrison’s questions, said that approximately 86% of those defendants that go to trial are found guilty.  The average sentence for murder is 35 years.  As a result, the overwhelming number of cases end in a plea deal.  Said would provide data from the last 12 months on the number of murder and attempted murder cases where the charges are downgraded.
• Comm. S. Morrison also provided some statistics from the Sheriff that of the over 2,000 people on electronic monitoring, 970 are accused of gun offenses.  Comm. Morrison asked whether there should be some kind of blue-ribbon commission to review these cases to see if policies regarding electronic monitoring should be changed.  Judge Evans said that many of these defendants are charged with “unlawful use of a gun,” but that charge does not mean that the gun was actually used. It could be that the person had a gun without the proper permit.  So Judge Evans would welcome such a commission and would like to revise the terms used to distinguish among the different situations.
• Because of the Early Resolution Program to help deal with eviction cases, there has been no huge number of evictions as the Judge feared at last year’s budget meeting.  Under this program, there are mediators and legal advisors to work with both sides to try to resolve the situation, including find other housing since in some cases the landlords want to get rid of the tenant as opposed to getting back rent.
• Provided some codes that can be used to generate reports on continuances, including whether the state’s attorney or defense counsel sought them.  Commissioners Miller and Daley noted they have been seeking this information for the last year.  Judge Evans said that his office will work with the Clerk of the Court to add codes for general reasons on why a continuance is sought. Expects to start on this after the Odyssey System is fully operational, which should be by the end of Nov.
• There was discussion concerning confinement/isolation of juveniles at the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.  Commissioner Gainer asked that the following be considered as the policy continues to be fleshed out:  (1) more clarity on how someone ends up in confinement; (2) clear direction that confinement is the last resort; and (3) mental health sign-off by a professional before someone can be confined (like in NY and LA).

Capital Budget Overview – Presented by Acting CFO Lawrence Wilson, Bureau Chief of Asset Management Elizabeth Granato, Director of Transportation Jennifer Killen, and Deputy CIO Adam Clement.

The 2023 Capital Budget is $505.2 M composed of 

• $248.4 M (49.2%) for capital improvements for County facilities; 
• $136.2 M (27%) for County maintained road, bridges, and highways; and 
• $120.6 M (23.8%) for capital equipment for County departments that includes primarily information technology (71% composed of costs for hardware and implementation), plus the remainder for vehicles, fixed plant assets, institutional equipment, furniture, and medical lab equipment.  
• Note:  some of these expenditures show up in the overall budget as expenditures from special purpose funds (including the Transportation and Highways fund), and grants.  As a result, these sources of revenues for capital projects are not included in the Capital Improvement Budget, which is $352.6 M (just about the same as 2022).

Part of the presentation focused on the process of determining how much could be directed to capital projects, including how much debt to incur, as well as how the County prioritizes projects.  The County currently has investment grade bond ratings of A2 from Moody’s; A+ from S&P Global Ratings, and AA- from Fitch Ratings for General Obligation Bonds; and AAA from Kroll Bond Rating Agency and AA- from S&P Global Ratings for Sales Tax Debt. 

Among the projects included in the Capital Budget are

• Renovation and consolidation at the County building, including making the 5th floor Board Room ADA accessible and adding technology improvements (the entire 5th floor, which also houses the President’s and Commissioner’s offices are expected to move to the 10th floor in Nov. or Dec.)
• Major renovations at Stroger Hospital
• Completion of the Court Utilization Study for the civil division (the criminal division has been completed0
• More work on the Integrated Property Tax System
• The State’s Attorney’s Case Management System
• A number of transportation projects
• Continued work as part of the Green Buildings Program, which is reducing the County’s carbon footprint, but also reducing energy costs

​Observer:  Priscilla Mims

Cook County Board Finance Committee
Departmental Budget Hearings:
October 27, 2021

This report covers the meetings with the Chief Judge and the Land Bank.

Chief Judge presented by Honorable Tim Evans
Proposed 2022 Budget: $287,915,856        2021 Budget: $273,508,315
(2022 includes $1.9 M from American Rescue Plan funds)
Proposed 2022 FTEs: 2,906.6                2021 FTEs: 2,872.6
(2022 includes 29 FTEs from American Rescue Plan funds)

The Chief Judge’s office is the administrative office serving the Circuit Court of Cook County. The office supervises non-judicial employees who provide a wide range of services including judicial support, probation, guardianship, Juvenile Detention, clinical and other support.  

​The Chief Judge stated that the Chief Judges Office is more than hearings in Court and emphasized the good work they are doing with the money that they are given. Some of the highlighted offices under the Chief Judge include:

• Adult and Juvenile Probation-pre- and post-trial activities
• Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (largest in the US)
• Jury Administration
• Children’s Room, place where children can go while their parents are in court
• Restorative Justice Court: there are 4 in Cook County that hear cases for young adults 18-26 that have been charged with non-violent felony or misdemeanors.
• Mental, Drug and Veterans Courts.  There are currently 20 Drug Courts

Chief Judge Evans was very proud of the documentary Any Given Day which is about the Mental Health Court. It won at the Chicago International Film Festival.
Chief Judge Evans will submit 2 amendments to the Chief Judge’s budget:

• The first for Domestic Violence.  He is asking for $2,360,000. This will be used to improve the services at the Domestic Violence Court at 555 E. Harrison, Chicago. The money will be used to support 15 Court coordinators, 5 law Clerks, 40 laptops, Advocates for Elderly Law, Advocates for Disability Law, and advocates to work 24 hours/7 days a week to help make sure orders of protections are provided to those in need. The Sheriff’s Department will provide 12 LEAD Clerks from the LEAD System who will help those seeking Orders of Protection complete the necessary forms and help expedite these orders.  The goal is to provide an Order of Protection to anyone in Cook County who feels they are in a dangerous situation.  The Sheriff’s office may provide some financial support for this amendment. A Committee  was formed in July with Judges and Commissioners Daley, Suffredin, Sims, Deer and Anaya out of concern for how the County is dealing with Domestic Violence.
• The second amendment is to raise the salary of Jurors from $17.20 to $35.00 per day.    Part 2 of this amendment is to increase the hourly rates paid to private attorneys needed to represent indigent people when Public Defenders are not able to represent them due to conflicts of interest. The rate is currently $75 per hour for in Court work and $55 per hour for outside Court Work. Chief Judge would like to double those rates.
• The Commissioners seem to be in favor of the above amendments

Land Bank Authority presented by Eleanor Gorski, Executive Director
Proposed 2022 Budget: 15,020,440            2021 Budget: 15,232,149
Proposed FTEs: 13                        2021 FTES: 12

The Cook County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA) will acquire, hold, and transfer interest in real property throughout Cook County to promote redevelopment and reuse of vacant, abandoned, foreclosed, or tax delinquent properties, and support targeted efforts to stabilize neighborhoods.

Executive Director Gorski began her job in August of 2021.

• This is a self-sustaining Authority. No taxpayer subsidy is used to accomplish their mission.
• 408 properties sold in 2021 and 408 properties were acquired
• 1,000 rehabilitated units have been sold with no public financing as affordable housing since 2013 when the CCLBA was established, 218 units rehab so far in 2021. 
• There was one change in their budget. Grant money was reduced from 4.8M to $550,000 due to a MWRD Grant that ended.

CCLBA Outlook for 2022 that will keep administrative costs flat. Some of the highlights include:

• Leverage with partnerships for an increase in economic development
• Scale up affordable housing with focus planning
• Streamline and update Landbank community engagement and public information efforts
• Work smarter with the resources they have
• To provide more transparency there will be an Annual Review that will be posted on their website, www.cookcountylandbank.org 

Commissioner Gainer spoke of the success of the Landbank and was pleased that they reached a milestone of 1,000 units since its inception. 

Observer: Nancy Marcus

Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting 
Oct 7, 2021

Attendance:  16 Commissioners present led by President Preckwinkle and  Commissioner Sims

Meeting Highlights:

• Agenda Item 21-5492  Proposed resolution requesting an update on actions to improve access to justice for victims of domestic violence.       Passed               Kate Nolan, staff attorney in the Chief Judge office, reported on the steps being taken to ensure victims of domestic abuse have access to the court system in order to obtain an order of protection.   The court is working with the Clerk of the Court, the Sheriff, and other stakeholders to set up 24/7 access.  The target date is November 8.   A judge will be on call after standard court hours. A remote hearing will be set up.   A person could access the hearing via a phone call.     If a person calls the Illinois Domestic Abuse Hotline, a facilitator would be available to help with a petition for an order of protection.  Judge Evans is also re-establishing the Domestic Violence Court Committee to improve the process in the domestic violence courts.  The committee will include judges, a representative from the president’s office, the Clerk of the Court, the Sheriff, and advocates.  Ms. Nolan will be on the committee and will be the point person for the Commissioners.   She will report back periodically.   The committee will address access to the courts, ease of use of the website, and availability of interpreters.  Each court will have a coordinator to help the petitioner in the process.
• Agenda Item 21-5542  Proposed Resolution to create a special purpose fund for equity and inclusion projects.  Passed        It seeds nearly $100 million to be allocated through November 2022 to address historical disparities and disinvestment in Black and Latinx communities as well as other communities that are marginalized or have experienced other social and economic disparities.

Observed by:  Kathi Graffam                       Meeting Length - 3 hours

Cook County Board Finance Committee Mid-year Budget Hearings
​July 21, 2021
Presentations by the Clerk of the Court, the Chief Judge, Independent Inspector General and Cook County Sheriff

​Commissioner Daley has asked all Elected officials presenting their mid-year budget information to also state what their office/department has learned from the COVID experience over the last year.

Clerk of the Court -  Iris Martinez

• Martinez’ main goal is to do a “comprehensive review of the whole operation” and make changes necessary for more efficiency and transparency.  She wants to “re-establish trust in the office.” 
• Two areas of concern are to complete the transition to the Odyssey Case Management System and to comply with any Shakman hiring issues.  By the end of October, 2021, the case management system transition should be completed and should be certified by the Illinois Supreme Court by January, 2022.  This will provide better access by the public and attorneys.  Hiring will be more transparent in accordance with any Shakman requirements.  Currently 218 more staff (mostly clerks) will be hired in two large groups.  The office will still be understaffed according to the Chief of Staff.
• Some general improvements to come are website improvement, easier access for Domestic Violence victims to get court orders, call center improvements including the calling of defendants to remind them of court dates.
• “Goals” include more e-filings by attorneys (2,200,000) and an increase in the number of cases filed (495,000).  Revenue is 10% higher than expected and expenditures are almost 9% lower than expected.  Much of this has to do with COVID shutdowns of courts and also more efficiency in operations.  Cost savings is a priority for Clerk of the Court Martinez.  More can be done using technology rather than in-person—learned from last year’s experience.

Chief Judge - Tim Evans
Some details from the Chief Judge regarding the current budget year:

• there is a 2% reduction ($5 million) in this year’s budget mostly due to COVID closures— under budget for hiring and contracts
• no jury trials have been held during COVID except for emergencies
• currently there are 76 courtrooms set up for jury trials and 10 for bench trials.  3 ft. social distancing will occur for jury trials  (should start in October)
• the AOIC (Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts) is giving $61 million to the courts—from COVID money at the federal level
• unusual expenses were for Zoom licenses (400) used for hearings
• during the past year, 128,00 “matters” were settled even though courtrooms were basically closed.  This includes 13,000 guilty pleas and bench trials.

Lessons learned from COVID experience:

• in-person court appearances are not needed for discovery,  some hearings; but in-person is required for any situations where “freedom is in jeopardy”

Commissioner Comments:

• Comm. Daley asked about the speedy trial requirement return and how many defendants are waiting. Also the number of defendants on EM or bail that have recommitted serious offenses. This was unclearly explained by Evans, however the gist was that there is “no proof” that the released do more crime.  He indicated that all the information is on his website dashboard.  This is cookcountycourt.org.  Later on it was mentioned that Preckwinkle’s office has a group interviewing Evans, Sheriff Dart, and others to evaluate the EM program.  A report should be released soon.
• Comm. Aguilar contradicted Evans “data” on crimes committed by released defendants and said his community was worried about crime.  Evans replied that all are presumed innocent until convicted.  Aguilar also stated that child support is not being enforced.
• Comm. Johnson was concerned about “isolation” use as a punishment for misbehavior at the JTDC (Juvenile Temporary Detention Center).
• ​Comm. Lowry asked whether the elimination of cash bail will increase court budget/costs.  No clear answer from Evans.
• Comm. Degnan advocated for virtual meetings for domestic violence situations.  This reduces trauma, time, etc. for women asking for court orders.
• Comm. Miller asked about restorative justice courts in the south suburbs.  These will be added soon.  She also asked for data on Veterans and other specialty courts and indicated that many veterans don't know about these specialty courts.
• Comm. S. Morrison questioned the $7 million increase in the budget.  Evans indicated this was needed for Zoom room personnel and other jury services. Evans office currently has 2,550 FTEs and 599 vacancies.  Evans desires a hybrid system using Zoom and in-person in the future. 
• Also asked was what the process is for deciding who gets out on bail, no-bail, or EM (Electronic Monitoring).  Evans said “mitigating circumstances”—presumption of innocence, proof not evident, no clear and present threat, no lengthy criminal record, self-defense, vulnerable to COVID are all reasons someone could be released even though they are accused of a violent or gun crime.  Stated that 1,287 defendants are in jail for murder and less than 100 murder defendants are out on EM.
• The issue of mental illness was brought up with regard to so many defendants needing mental health services.  Morrison advocated that this issue be addressed by the State of Illinois.

Independent Inspector General - Patrick Blanchard

• The office has filled 5 open slots (including promoting 1) and has just 1 unfilled position of the Deputy Inspector General
• Comm. Anaya asked whether the result is improved turn-around time for cases.  IG Blanchard said “yes.”  He reminded the Commissioners that his office has a triage system for determining which potential cases are the most important and which ones have sufficient evidence to warrant going forward.  Last year there were 800 contacts made to his office, and the office also can and does open cases on its own.
• The IG was asked about appeals from the cases included in his quarterly reports.  The IG explained that the office only has the authority to make recommendations to an official or department.  So if someone disagrees with the implementation of the recommendations of the IG, the person needs to contact the applicable department or official.

The Office of the Cook County Sheriff - Deputy Sheriff

• The office began with a presentation on the past and current status of COVID cases within the County Jail, which the office believes has been wrongly depicted as a “hot spot.”  In the Spring of 2020, there were 307 cases, which was 6.9% of the total Jail population, compared to much higher percentages in the general population.  Similarly, the highest number of cases was on December 13, 2020, with 375 inmates testing positive, or 6.8% of the Jail population.  As of July 21, 2021, the 7-day average was only 0.2%, or only 2 positive cases. And these two inmates entered the Jail with COVID.
• Currently, 55% of the Sheriff’s employees are vaccinated, despite many efforts to incentivize the staff to get vaccinated. 61% of the eligible detainees are vaccinated currently.  There is frequent testing of the non-vaccinated.
• The office expects to remain within the 2021 budget, thanks to the funds that came from the Federal government last year and this year.
• 752 detainees have been convicted and should be in the State prison system.  Of these, 394 are eligible for parole hearings, and the Sheriff wants those to take place.  Comm. Daley asked about the dollar amount owed by the State to the County for housing these inmates that have been convicted.  The Sheriff’s Deputy said that the State wants to establish a rate of $50 to $70 per day, but the Sheriff says it has to meet with the County’s Budget Dept. to establish the appropriate rate.
• The Sheriff’s employees are exhausted from the past year and a half.  It has been difficult to keep up with attrition through new hires.  The Deputy Sheriff emphasized the large number of positions that have been reduced over the years and more positions are needed, including more monitors for those released on electronic monitoring.  The office is working with the University of Chicago to identify ways to better manage the electronic monitoring.
• Comm. Britton said he would like to expand training within the Jail so people can connect to jobs upon release.  The Commissioner identified a large impediment to that is the issue of transportation from Chicago to the suburbs where some of these jobs are, particularly in the food industry.
• Comm. Johnson asked about whether there are metrics for evaluating policing efforts, particularly the Sheriff’s partnering with Chicago on drug trafficking.  The Deputy explained that the Sheriff had an internal research office that does such evaluations and there are weekly reports.
• Comm. Silvestri asked about what long-term costs might be expected.  The Deputy Sheriff explained that being able to open shuttered Jail buildings was critical for providing separate spaces for prisoners during this pandemic.  The office was very complimentary of the Asset Management Bureau for quickly repairing and bringing these shuttered buildings up to code so they could be used.  The Office said that having that capability to reopen buildings could be a continuing need.
• Comm. Anaya asked whether there is any evaluation of the effectiveness of electronic monitoring.  The answer was that Urban Labs is finishing up just such an evaluation, which report should be ready shortly.
• Comm. Anaya and Moore brought up the mental health facility in Roseland that was established in 2017 as an alternative to incarceration in the Jail.  Comm. Moore urged that the County look to establish similar programs in Chicago.

Observers  - Karin Hribar and  Priscilla Mims