Cook County Board of Commissioners
Committee Meetings March 13, 2024 FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE ON LITIGATION During the public comment period, the League of Women Voters of Cook County expressed its concern that the position of the Cook County Independent Inspector General (“IIG”) has not been filled on a permanent basis for 17 months.
AUDIT COMMITTEE: County Auditor Mary Modelski presented her report on Grant Administration and general Management at the Justice Advisory Council (JAC) in fiscal year 2022. No audit had been done in at least 10 years. The report (item 24-1025) included only grants administered through the operating fund budget (about $14 million in 2022) and excluded any ARPA grants, which will be looked at later. Issues brought up in the report or by Commissioners included the following:
The Audit report of ARPA on the Small Business Grant Program showed adequate controls on the $50 million distributed to 3,000 small businesses in Cook County. $18 million more will be granted out by 2026. Building Healthy Communities ARPA grants of about $5 million were also audited. Because of a change in designation of recipients (from sub-recipients to beneficiaries), these grants were not required to be monitored. Commissioners were concerned that no metrics, risk assessments, or financial monitoring was done. The Public Health (PH) department wanted to get the funds out upfront and quickly as COVID was prevalent at that time. The grants were intended to increase access to healthy foods, youth development, mental and behavioral health. PH department was told by Commissioners they should establish base-line monitoring so the county knows where the funds went and what the outcomes of the programs were. RULES AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE: There was a lot of discussion among commissioners and the staff of the Dept. of Human Rights & Ethics (HR & E) regarding the rules for the public to follow on the recently passed Paid Leave ordinance—effective for private businesses since January, 2024. Concerns by some Commissioners were
ASSET MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE: Item 24-1056 regarding a lease in Sauk Village for a new restorative justice court was passed in committee. Both the Public Defender and a representative from the States Attorney office seem to have smoothed over any concerns by commissioners from 2 weeks ago when those offices sent a letter stating they could not staff a new court this year. All involved will “continue conversations,” so it seems to this observer that behind the scenes agreements were made that the lease go forward and any problems would be dealt with later. What to watch for:
Observer :Karin Hribar
0 Comments
Cook County Board of Commissioners Committee Meetings
February 28, 2024 Technology Committee:
Rules and Administration Committee and Legislation and intergovernmental Relations Committee:
Asset Management Committee:
Environment and Sustainability Committee:
What to watch for in the next meetings:
Observers: Karin Hribar and Victoria Cerenich (Environment and Sustainability Committee) Cook County Board of Commissioners Health and Hospitals Committee
Public Hearing February 27, 2024 Meeting Length: 1 hr. 25 min. Dr. R. Garza CCH Board of Directors Chair introduced Brian Barton and Dr. Greg Vaughn. They were representing the firm Spencer Stuart, which is conducting the search process and were present to hear priorities and address questions. Many of the points of concern, they stated, had also been expressed to them by the Cook County Health (CCH) Board. Commissioners agreed on these and many others. The discussion included the following points of concern:
Observer : Carolyn Cosentiino Cook County Board of Commissioners Committee Meetings
Cook County Health & Hospitals and Labor January 23, 2024 Health & Hospitals Committee Public comments:
Quarterly update on status of infectious diseases (Item 23-3815):
Semi-annual Reports on Behavioral Health Services Provided by Cook County Offices from June 2023 through November 2023 (Item 24-0639, State’s Attorney; 24-0595, Public Defender; 24-0578, Cook County Health; 24-0523, Chief Judge; and 24-0020, Sheriff) Presentations included the following information:
Labor Committee
Observer: Priscilla Mims Community Needs Assessment Shows Housing Affordability and Utility Costs Top Community Concerns1/26/2024 Cook County Board Committee Meetings
January 24, 2024 CEDA (Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County) presented their report of community needs.
Other items of Interest:
Observer - Karin Hribar Cook County Board Finance Committee Departmental Budget Hearings
October 25, 2023 - morning session Clerk Of The Court—Iris Martinez 2024 Total: $135,144,132 2023: $127,821,336 2024 FTEs: 1,429 2023: 1,509 Following are some key items from this meeting:
Secretary To The Board—Lynne Turner 2024 TOTAL: $2,155,000 2023: $2,045,000 2024 FTEs: 12 2023: 12 Following are some key items from this meeting:
Sheriff—Tom Dart 2024 Total: $708,458,429 2023: $674,966,716 2024 FTEs: 5,744 (a decrease) 2023: 5,839 Following are some key items from this meeting:
Karin Hribar, Observer |
AuthorIndividual authors are credited at the end of each post. Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|