Cook County Board - Criminal Justice Committee 
June 10, 2026

The Committee heard from public speakers and criminal justice stakeholders pursuant to a request for hearing to consider measures to be implemented to ensure fair and equitable processing of mediations for domestic relations and child representation.  (Item 25-3661, sponsored by Commissioner Donna Miller) Problems concerning these had been identified in prior meetings. 

• Public speakers spoke about the lack of follow up, confusion, and continued movement of personnel within the courts, whether participants are involved with the domestic relations and/or domestic violence court.  Several speakers thanked Commissioner Miller for taking the lead and listening to the experiences of people who are involved in the domestic criminal justice system (which is a separate issue).  A few speakers spoke about the length of time their cases have been in the courts, such as 7, 8 or 9 years, and the impact this has on their lives, families and children.  
• Diane Brown spoke about her daughter Jennifer and her experience in the court which started in 2017. The case is still open after 9 years and 8 judges.
• Another speaker shared that when her daughter was 11 or 12 she asked for equal parental time with her mother. During an 8-year period, numerous personnel changes occurred in the case, including 3 different judges. This resulted in no contact between mother and daughter for 7 ½ years.   She stated that courts should not have so much power over families. 
• Several people mentioned the role of GALs (Guardian ad Litem) in their cases and the fees involved.  GALs are independent licensed attorneys appointed by judges, credentialed in Illinois, who go through extra training to represent the best interest of children in domestic relations cases. They are not employees of the court. 

Representatives from the Chief Judge, Sheriff, State Attorney’s, Clerk of the Court, and Public Guardian; shared updates and answered questions from the Commissioners.  These questions, particularly Commissioner Stamps', centered around appointed GALs and fees involved, accreditation, court reporters, orders of protection (POs), length of time to serve, what information is available to the judges and where they receive it from, and what drives process and practices. 

Questions and answers concerning GALs included:  

• How are they assigned – by judges from an approved list
• How do attorneys become a GAL- independent licensed lawyers go through two 8-hour training days to learn court procedures and the role GALs play
• What are they paid -  $110/hour (for last 20 years)  or if judge decides the family can afford to pay a higher rate, could be as much as  $300 or $400/hour 
• If a family cannot pay, the court can appoint a public guardian who has a sliding scale or may be pro bono
• Is there a sliding scale available for GAL - no, fee is statutorily set
• Due to what may be an arbitrary decision on what kind of representation a family may receive, some people owe thousands of dollars in fees

The Resolution states that GALs are interviewed and screened by current GALs and that the Office of Public Guardian accepts appointments as the child representative in the majority of cases (as opposed to the GAL). 

Additional questions and responses included:
Who handles issues regarding ethics or problems with representation from lawyers?

• All concerns are directed to the ARDC ( Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission).  
• ARDC investigates misconduct complaints. By design, the process is confidential. 

Why are there no court reporters in these courts?

• There is a statewide lack of court reporters which leads to lack of accountability.
• Lack of court reporters is an impediment to seek review or appeal.
• Court reporters are not required in all cases. Are required if only one side is appearing in court or there is an interview of a child in the judge’s chambers.
• When asked about use of zoom, the answer is the technology is not there yet for accuracy.  A recording is not a substitute for a transcript. 
• When asked about increasing the number of court reporters, Commissioner McCaskill shared that South Suburban College has a court reporter training program.

On a separate issue, Orders of Protection (OPs) not being served cause litigants to feel unsafe for themselves and their children, A recent analysis determined that 75% of civil OPs remain unserved in Cook County.  Data from Sheriff’s office:

• Orders are processed by Clerk of the Court’s office and sent to Sheriff 
• About 72% of OPs are served on the same day as issued.  A second attempt is made within 24 hours, and 3rd attempt in 72 hours. 
• From Nov 1, 2025 to Feb 28, 2026, data showed there were 6,212 orders with 56.7% served. 
• Main barriers to serving are cannot be located, wrong address, respondent relocated. 
• There were some questions regarding how orders are issued - paper or electronically. Answer paper with some follow-up electronically. 

Information available to the judges?

• Information generally comes from the Clerk of the Court’s office 
• Judges have access to domestic violence court records

Other points from Commissioners:

• Need for raining for judges and others and the need to be mandatory
• There is a need to monitor technology in order to support the system better
• Questions on judges and turnover on cases
• Commissioner Stamps wants racial and gender data tracked. (The Commissioner said that 70% of victims are black women.) Some of this will require IL statute change. 
• Lobbying will be needed to update fee statutes and where court reporters are required. 

​Observer:  Laura Davis 

Criminal Justice Committee
June 9, 2026
Commissioners Hold Hearing on Orders of Protection and other Matters

The meeting had one agenda item:  a resolution to hold a hearing to examine the challenges, delays, and systemic gaps related to the service and enforcement of orders of protection (OPs) electronic monitoring compliance, and revocation of Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) cards.  (tem 26-1526)

• Public comments included a request to look at the system of electronic monitoring as a whole, rather than individual cases, in setting policy.  

During the rest of the hearing:

• Domestic violence was acknowledged as the highest crime incidence on the west side of Chicago. Accused perpetrators are known to ‘hide’ from those trying to serve OPs.  Communication to survivors about perpetrators released from custody is essential. The resolution stated that data from the Sheriff showed that 45% of OPs go unserved.
• The Sheriff’s report on FOID revocation showed that 68% of owners with revoked FOID cards do not comply with the transfer of arms. 
• There was discussion of a proposed bill to provide 60-day electronic notice to turn in weapons or have your driver’s license revoked.  Comm. Stamps asked why 60 and not 30 days? She was told that 60 days is the legislative standard notice.  Comm. Daley asked about the status of this bill.  He was told that it remains under negotiation. Comm. Miller asked about the anticipated opposition to the bill.  One concern was that the loss of a driver’s license could lead to a loss of work / family income.
• Service of OPs currently involves 3 attempts to serve a person within a 72-hour period.  A proposed bill calls for electronic receipt of the order and opening of the notification.  Precedent for use of this system is Washington State.  Data will be sent to Commissioners, but reported improvements include more people showing up in court to present their own case and improved due process, i.e. people know that they have been served, and improved privacy, i.e. no sheriff showing up at your home or workplace.
• Reasons for delay of this bill include: it takes time for the General Assembly to understand the intentions of the bill; time needed to get partner organizations/offices involved and aligned, e.g. State’s Attorney and Public Defender must weigh in.

Sheriff’s Office input:  

• Has supported several other bills aimed to improve safety for victims and due process for both parties
• A taskforce is working on a Public Safety dashboard that can notify relevant government and law enforcement agencies of orders of protection and electronic monitoring orders
• Prefer in person attempts to serve the order and e-serve as secondary process

State’s Attorney’s Office input

• Support any mechanism to notify individuals to appear in court to clarify parameters of the order
• Need hard evidence that people are notified
• Comm. Anaya asked if there are legislative gaps. The response was there are laws in place for use of e-devices to locate victim and witnesses in or near the court building. State-wide case-level data is not currently accessible, so office’s dashboard and Clerk’s office data are searched. 
• Victims need a police report to get into criminal (vs civil) court.  Chicago Police Department now takes reports at the Domestic Violence Courthouse instead of the victim needing to go to a station.

Public Defender’s Office input

• Lack of notice hurts both victims and their clients
• State’s Attorney now has access to other orders of protection from the Clerk of the Court in preparation for court

Observer:  Sue Gregory

Finance Committee
June 10, 2026
Commissioners Receive Performance Management Report

Carrianne Carallis, the Director of the Department of Research, Operations and Innovation (“ROI”), gave a short presentation on the status of the County’s Performance Management program in conjunction with the 2025 Annual Performance Management Report.  (Item 26-1025.)  This Report covers all departments within Cook County.  

• The ROI Department in 2025 worked with all the departments under the President to establish goals and outcomes.  The goals are broad statements that describe what an agency or department aims to accomplish over time.  Outcomes are the intended change or public benefit that indicate progress toward a desired goal.  The ROI intends to work with the departments under the other officials to establish goals and outcomes during 2026.
• While there are metrics listed for each goal, most of these are from prior years.  In response to a question from Comm. Anaya as to what checks and balances exist to make sure the metrics are appropriate, Director Carallis said that the ROI Department intends to work with all departments to tailor the metrics so they better measure whether the outcomes are being achieved during 2026. 
• Comm. Degnen stated that this Report is better than the last 3 annual reports.  She recommended that future reports should also provide narratives as to how the departments can improve.  She said the goals should be the cornerstones of what each department does.
• Comm. McCaskill said she looks forward to seeing how the performance management program goes forward and would like the goals, outcomes and appropriate metrics also applied to the various organizations which receive grants from the County.

The Committee recommended Board approval of

• A change in the ordinance Sec. 76-677 so that the revenues from the tax on firearm ammunition shall go to fund gun violence prevention programs and operations as determined by the Justice Advisory Council.  Previously the revenues went to the Special Purpose Equity Fund for those same purposes. (item 26-1336)
• A resolution to award additional Justice Advisory Council grants to 9 organizations to support community violence intervention programming. (item 26-0721)

The Committee deferred action on a proposed ordinance amendment to require that all contracts exceeding $3 M include a statement that a vendor’s failure to perform or deliver may result in a minimum 10% penalty.  Comm Degnen, the sponsor along with Comm. Kevin Morrison, explained that the deferral was to provide time to determine exactly where this provision should be placed in the County Code of Ordinances.  (Item 26-1514)

The County Comptroller reported that up through April,

• The General Fund has a favorable net variance as compared to budget of $344.1 M composed of higher revenues of $264.3 M and lower expenses of $79.8 M as compared to budget.
• The Health Fund has an unfavorable net variance as compared to budget of $47 M composed of lower revenues of $15.8 M and higher expenses of $31.2 M as compared to budget on a cash basis.  

Observer:  Priscilla Mims

Asset Management Committee
June 10, 2026
Committee Approves More Contract Funds But Concerns Expressed

• Capital Planning & Policy was seeking approval of  $13.25 M in additional funds for an existing Job Order Contract (JOC) program that had $197,250 M previously allocated. 
• The JOC program has a pool of approved contractors that can be used for smaller construction projects that are less than a year in duration, such as preparatory site work and electrical work.  The projects have specific pricing.   There are various projects currently under construction in County buildings.
• The original contract term expired in January of 2026, but under a new County Porcurment Code, the Chief Procurement Officer was authorized to exercise the option within the contract to extend it to 2028.  However, there is no authorization for additional dollars to be added, which is why this item was before the Commissioners for approval. 
• Commissioners Degnen and Anaya both expressed concern that the contract was extended without providing the Board updates on the work involved and now the Commissioners were being asked to approve additional funds.   Issues and delays with the 5th floor remodeling were pointed out.  
• Earl Manning, the Director of Capital Planning and Policy,  committed to providing updates to the Commissioners.
• The Committee approved the additional funds.   Commissioners Degnen and Anaya voted present. (Item 26-0842)

Observer:  Kathi Graffam

Finance Subcommittee on Litigation
June 10, 2026

Inspector General  Paxton presented some of the statistics and items from his 1st quarter report from the Office of the Independent Inspector General. Concerning the cases involving employees seeking Payroll Protection loans for companies run outside of their County jobs, Commissioner Degnan asked whether, when the Office recommended termination and placement on “do not hire” list, the termination takes place. Mr. Paxton did not have specific statistics ,but stated that in general the termination took place.
Observer:  Hollis Burgess

Technology Committee
June 10, 2026

For the third month, the Committee deferred the one item on the agenda:  a contract for video analytics platform to detect security breaches throughout the Department of Corrections.  (Item 26-0816)
Observer:  Ed Spire

Cook County Finance Committee Meeting and 
Cook County Special Board Meeting
November 20, 2025

After approving 15 amendments to the proposed Budget, the Cook County Board unanimously passed the FY2026 Budget.  The final budget increased by $105 M, resulting in a total budget of $10,118,825,966.  

The Amendments adding amounts to the budget are:

• $57.3 M was added to the spending under Special Purpose Funds, reducing the fund balances of those Special Purpose Funds to support that increase. (Amend. #3)
• Additional grants totaling $21M were added.  (Amend. #4)
• The Capital Budget was increased by $9 M by shifting funds within the capital accounts. (Amend. #5)
• Utilizing the City of Chicago’s proposed declaration of a Tax Increment Financing surplus, $19.9 M was added to the General Fund (Amend. #6) and then utilized to add that amount to the Chief Judge’s budget:  $5.8 M for court-based rental assistance; $4.1 M for homeless services; and $10 M for food access.  However, all of this is contingent on the County actually getting $19.9 M from Chicago, and the individual line item additions will be reduced as necessary to reflect what is actually received. (Amend. #7)

Amendment #2 reduced the overall budget by reducing the Health Enterprise Fund revenues and, accordingly, the proposed expenditures, by $1.5 M.

The remaining Amendments balanced proposed additional expenditures by like amounts of reductions, so each netted out to a $0 impact:

• A technical amendment to the General Fund making corrections.  Those corrections included the cost-of-living increases for the Elected Officials that should have been included in the proposed budget. (Amend. #1)
• A reallocation within the Health Enterprise Fund of $500,000 for the Dept. of Public Health to hold community forums in 6 Commissioner districts for youth and young adults to help them deal with mental stresses and direct them to services.  The measurements for success are the numbers of events hosted, people attending, and referrals to social services, along with testimonials. (Amend. # 8)
• A reallocation of funds within the budget of the Chief Judge to add positions for Court Administrator, 2  Asst Court Administrators, Chief of Staff, and 2 Asst. Chiefs of Staff for Operations and Policy. (Amend. #9)
• Reduction of 2 vacant positions within the Chief Judge’s office to add 2 Court Interpreters.  (Amend. #10)
• Reducing some budget entries to add 8 Victim Specialists for domestic violence within the State’s Attorney’s Office.  This should result in a reduction in caseload per Specialist from 410 to 310. (Amend. #11)
• Reducing some budget entries to add 6 MIS positions to the State’s Attorney’s Office.  (Amend. #12)
• Reducing some budget entries to add 10 positions in the State’s Attorney’s office to create an in-house forensics unit which are critical to operationalizing the new Digital Evidence Management System, which is a $4 M capital expenditure within the budget. (Amend. #13)
• Reducing some budget entries to add a glazier to the Dept. of Facilities Management. (Amend. #14)
• A reduction in the Land Bank’s allowance for delinquent taxes to increase the salary of the Executive Director by $12,839.

At the conclusion of the Finance Committee and then the Special Board meetings, the President and Commissioners gave many thanks to the County staff at all levels.

• Commissioner Sean Morrison, who said that as the lone Republican, he was proud to support this budget which he said is a truly balanced budget, unlike some other government entities’ budgets.  He also said that this budget reflects many decisions that have been made over the last 10 years, including the decisions to make extra payments to the pension accounts and to refinance debt at lower rates.
• President Preckwinkle stressed that this budget resulted in no new taxes or fees and no reduction in services.  Picking up from Comm. Morrison’s comment, she thanked Commissioners Daley and Moore who 10 years ago took the hard vote to raise the sales tax that allowed for those extra pension payments.
• Commissioner Daley pointed out that the County has not raised its property tax levy since 1994.

Observer:  Priscilla Mims

Cook County Board of Commissioners Committee Meetings  
Nov. 18 & 19, 2025

Criminal Justice Committee
November 19, 2025

​Commissioners Approve Chicago-Cook County Violence Against Women Task Force

• With the Chicago City Council approving a companion resolution last week, the Committee voted to approve the creation of a Chicago-Cook County Violence against Women Task Force. (item 25-4095)
• The Taks Force is charged with providing recommendations to the City and County by July 1, 2026 for addressing domestic violence, which has had a huge surge in reported incidents over the past several years.
• Besides representatives from the County’s criminal justice officials, Commissioners Miller, Anaya, Degnen, and Gainer were appointed to the Task Force from the County’s side. Comm. Miller was the lead sponsor, and she said that this Task Force is an outgrowth of this Committee’s hearing last July during which many problems with the current government systems were identified.  

Observer:  Priscilla Mims

Finance Committee
November 19, 2025

Finance Approves Up to $10.53 M to House Those on Electronic Monitoring with No Place to Go
The Committee voted to approve

• 5 items from the Justice Advisory Commission to provide housing and some additional services for those ordered to pretrial detention on electronic monitoring at fees ranging from $136 to $200 per night.  County only pays per night fees when people are actually housed. Placements at the different facilities are offered to those who have no place to stay.  (items 25-3544, -3545, -3546, -3547, and -3548)
• Grants totaling $2.3 M (with $100,000 remaining to provide additional support) to 5 community financial institutions to assist them in doing small business lending.  Funding for this program is from the Equity Fund.  In response to questions from Comm. Anaya, the 5 institutions were selected by an external panel of experts from a group of 10 after a Request for Qualification (RFQ) process resulted in 15 responses, of which 10 were found by the Bureau of Economic Development to have met the requirements.  Comm. Anaya asked that in the future, Commissioners be notified of similar RFQs.  (item 25-3953)

The Comptroller reported that through Sept. 30 

• The County’s General Fund has a net favorable balance of $123 M and, on a cash basis, the Health Enterprise Fund has an unfavorable balance of $33.7 M.  The State of Illinois owes the County $98 M, but that amount is trending downward.  
• In response to a question from Comm. Sean Morrison, CFO Tanya Anthony said that there has been $1.2M in reduced Federal funding to date.  Comm. Morrison and Chair Daley asked that future monthly reports identify any loss of Federal funding. 

Observer:  Priscilla Mims

Legislative and Intergovernmental Relations Committee
November 19, 2025

Committee Extends Incentives for Landmark Buildings
Two ordinances dealing with the extension of tax incentives for certain classifications of property were approved by the Committee.

• The first ordinance amendment was an extension of classification incentives that were due to expire at the end of this year and extends the time frame until 2027. (Agenda Item 25-4178)
• The second amendment was for incentive renewal of Class L buildings. A representative from the Assessor’s office stated that this will allow for buildings with landmark status to continue to receive the incentive if certain parameters are met and municipalities agree with the extension of the incentive. (Agenda Item 25-4220)
• During public comment Ward Miller from Preservation Chicago and Kendra Parsons from Landmarks Illinois both spoke in support of renewing the incentives as they were important for restoration of landmark buildings. A representative from a Cultural Arts Center in Oak Park also spoke about how important an incentive was for allowing renovation of their landmark building so they now are able to provide free meeting space to the community. 
• Comm. Sean Morrison asked how long an exemption would be granted if renewed and the Assessor’s representative stated it would be for the same term as the original exemption was granted - mostly that is 12 years. He then stated that while he does support incentives as they are important for economic development he does caution that incentives should not be long term commitments. They are meant to provide owners a tax break to allow them to invest in properties so that they become economically viable and when they are they should no longer need the tax break.

Observer - Cynthia Schilsky

Asset Management Committee  
November 18, 2025

Commissioners Approve Purchase of 2 Buildings

• James Essex, Director of Real Estate Management, presented two proposals to buy buildings in which Cook County is leasing a major portion.   The department did the calculations on the cost of purchasing versus long term rental and determined these purchases will save the County money.
• The Commissioners approved both purchases.   The first was a building in Maywood currently occupied by the Sheriff and the Clerk of the Court (Item 25-4100).  The second was in Arlington Heights, currently occupied by County Health Services (Item 23-4101).

Observer:  Kathi Graffam

Audit Committee    
November 19, 2025

Audit Finds Compliance with ARPA Requirements

• Heath Wolfe, County Auditor, presented a report of a review the Audit Department did on an ARPA project. The Rain Ready Plan is implementing green infrastructure projects to control rainwater in flood prone areas.   Mr. Wolfe explained that these reviews of ARPA projects are not audits; but to check that the projects are in compliance with ARPA requirements, and to suggest any needed management corrections.  They found that the monitoring process was adequate and the funds were being used as intended. (Item 25-4148).

Observer:  Kathi Graffam

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 of Commissioners Committee Meetings
June 28, 2023

The Commissioners had a full day of Committee meetings filled with much substance. Highlights below include

• Approval of the 12-week paid parental leave for offices under the President (not for employees who work for the other County Elected Officials)
• Differing views about the conditions inside the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center
• Updates on the status of revenues vs. expenses for this fiscal year and on the long-term revenue forecast
• Update on what the different County offices are doing with respect to domestic violence cases

12-week paid parental leave

• The Finance Committee voted to direct the Bureau of Human Resources to put together a policy for paid parental leave for 12 weeks.  To qualify, the employee must have been full-time for at least 12 months and must be a birth parent, non-birthing biological parent, intended parent of a gestational surrogacy, parent of adopted child, or foster parent placed with a foster child of 17 or younger.  Employees will be limited to 1 such leave per 12 months.  
• Commissioner Degnen, the principal sponsor along with President Preckwinkle, explained that the policy would for now only cover employees under the offices of the President.  Each other Elected County Official must take their own steps to adopt such a policy.  Commissioner Degnen said the Board can and should encourage such steps by assuring the Electeds that the Board would make sure the money was there to cover the costs of such a policy.
• Commissioner Gainer said that she had left the City of Chicago’s employment years ago because it had no such policy.  She expects that having such a policy now at Cook County will enable many good employees to remain at the County.  
• Commissioner Kevin Morrison stressed that people who opt to take this leave should know there will be no retributions as a result - particularly that they will not miss out on promotions.
• Commissioner Miller emphasized that this policy should assist in improving the significant maternal mortality and morbidity rates that the Commissioners heard about the previous day by allowing birth mothers to have the time to obtain the care they need.  Commissioner Miller also said that this policy was another plus for attracting and retaining good workers at Cook County (again referencing yesterday’s meetings where they heard about the challenges of hiring).
• The Board approved this item (#23-3117) at the Board meeting on June 29.

Conditions at the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (“JTDC”)

• The Audit Committee held a hearing to discuss Equip for Equality’s report on conditions inside the JTDC, which is under the authority of the Cook County Chief Judge.  The Chief Judge did not speak, but was present throughout.  
• Equip for Equality (“EFE”) is the private not-for-profit legal advocacy organization designated by the Governor to operate the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (“P&A”) System for people with disabilities in Illinois.  EFE conducted observations and interviews with staff and detainees at the JTDC and the Chicago Public School that operates there from late 2021 thru early 2023.  The full report can be found at https://www.equipforequality.org/files/jtdc_report.pdf
• EFE recommends ending the practice of isolating youths and the use of a “holding” pod for those who either act up in the school or refuse to go to school.  EFE also recommends the end of the policy of having youths in the holding pod sit “on the wall” while they are given packets of work and utilize overturned chairs as desks, all the while not being able to talk to anyone.
• JTDC Superintendent Dixon and other supervisory JTDC staff stated there was no such “policy,” but admitted that this practice is used.  Supt. Dixon explained that this is used to prevent harm to others, as well as for the youths themselves.  There are serious gang issues within the JTDC, and the youth detained there are generally accused of serious crimes, including murder and attempted murder.  
• EFE is particularly focused on those detained in the JTDC who have special needs and the failure to accommodate that in the school.  However, Supt. Dixon explained that the staff are not advised by the Chicago Public Schools (“CPS”) as to when any of the youth there have special needs.  The prior memorandum of understanding between CPS and the JTDC lapsed a long time ago and a new one is just now being negotiated which presumably would provide for such information to be given to the JTDC.

Current Fiscal Year and Long-Term Revenue Forecast

• The Comptroller reported to the Finance Committee that both the General Fund and Health Enterprise Fund have positive balances due to revenues exceeding expenses:  $162 M for the General Fund and $108 M for the Health Fund.
• Dean Constantinou, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, presented the quarterly update on the long-term revenue forecast developed by the County’s Independent Revenue Forecast Commission.  The forecast is for slow economic growth into 2024, which should have a positive impact on revenues, particularly the sales tax which, as of April, is projected to be 1.3% over budget.  As a result of projected small surpluses going forward over the next 5 years, the County’s Fund Balance should continue to be above the maximum desired under the County’s policy, resulting in additional funds being available.
• The forecast is also for revenues to exceed expenses in the Health Fund going forward.  County Care membership is expected to peak in June and then drop off.  After November of 2024, the forecast is for membership to remain flat.

Domestic Violence

• The Criminal Justice Committee heard from representatives from the offices of the State’s Attorney, Sheriff, Chief Judge, and Clerk of the Circuit Court on what is going on with respect to domestic violence cases.  The Public Defender was not available.  Prior to the meeting, Commissioner Anaya, the sponsor of the item (23-2711) calling for the hearing, had met with each office explaining what she wanted covered.
• The State’s Attorney’s representative talked about the Domestic Violence Mental Health Court pilot that started in February.  The focus is on familial conflicts with outpatient and inpatient treatment for both defendants and victims.  So far, there have been 50 cases and 5 graduates. 
• The State’s Attorney is recommending (1) technology upgrades to the domestic violence court at 555 W. Harrison, (2) creation of a shared screening data base among agencies, and (3) the elimination of paper communications.  
• The Clerk of the Court’s representative reiterated the need for a single system among the criminal justice offices, and said that there is one that all offices have access to:  the Clerk of the Court’s Case Management System.  What needs to be done now is make sure all offices are trained on using it.  The representative explained that each office still needed its own system to manage its work load – other offices, for example, should not have access to the State Attorney’s case management system.  
• Honorable Judy Rice, the Acting Presiding Judge of the Domestic Violence Court, reported that there are 1500 new cases each month, both criminal and civil.  There are monthly meetings among all the entities (DV advocacy, Sheriff, Clerk of the Court, State’s Attorney, DV Judges, etc.) and the Chief Judge’s office supports increased staffing for all.  Since the pilot program for “After Hours” Domestic Violence Court (9 pm to 3 am on weeknights and 1 pm to 6 pm on weekends) there have been 543 cases.

​Observer: Priscilla Mims