Cook County Land Bank Authority 
July 21, 2026

Jessica Caffrey, Executive Director and Daniel Taylor, Manager Finance and Business Operations presented an overview of the Land Banks finances. Highlights from their report:

• Generates revenue by property sales, land banking agreements and municipal transactions with purpose of returning properties to the tax rolls.
• In 2025 revenue of $9.6M resulting in $309M added to community wealth since their inception. 
• Revenue goal of $7M due to some challenges for this year and have raised $4M so far.
• Expenditures on pace and expect to be on target by end of year. 
• 89% of properties sold this year have gone to home ownership. Received funds from equity fund to assist with funds for homeowners. 
• Acquired 256 parcels so far this year. May not reach their goal of 500 but expect to acquire 400 parcels as more parcels are being redeemed. 
• 21 of 25 positions filled. Intend to have remaining 4 positions filled by year end. 
• Receive grant funds from IHDA (Illinois Housing Department Authority) for demolition of properties that are not able to be renovated. 

Commissioner Comments and Questions/Answers:

• Gainer - Asked about sustainability of the Land Bank. Working on increasing inventory. Need to process 3000 pieces of property to keep afloat. Challenges due to Tyler problems in Treasurer’s Office. Right now $1M outstanding from Treasurer. 
• Moore - How many vacant properties have been returned to the tax rolls? 2505 properties have been returned with total amount of $38M in tax revenue. Working with Dolton, Calumet City, and Matteson to get larger properties back on the tax rolls. 65% of the Land Bank property is vacant land so working on scaling up developers. Preservation Services (maintenance) on approximately 2000 properties requires $6M/year. Get $3.5M from the County budget. 
• McKaskill - Partnership with municipalities to do maintenance? Work closely with municipalities who are glad to have Land Bank do maintenance. They do waive transfer stamps.
• Vasquez - Is there any enforcement post sale if contracts not honored.? 12-18 months to complete rehab of property and then a release of property. 60 days from acquisition to marketing and then about 6 months to sale. 4 Asset Managers work on this to ensure contracts are honored. 
• Gainer - Pointed out that most Land Banks are funded by a portion of the taxes that they have generated. The $3.5 from the County is a portion of that. 
• Aguilar - Are brokers involved and can you speed up the process? Brokers are involved with the larger commercial properties. Application process for purchase takes time so process has been streamlined as much as possible. 

Cook County Clerk  

Clerk Monica Gordon summarized the efforts of her office to modernize including:

• For elections - Deployment of 55 smart ballot drop boxes for mail in ballots to all early voting sites and Election Lens, an analytics program to assist with managing election
• Partnership with the Chicago Bears on civic engagement project to bring early voting sites to High Schools in suburban Cook County
• Vital Records - the revenue producing part of her office had an increase of 4% in revenue 
• Efforts to modernize include a new clerk cashier system that includes a mail tracking system. 
• Once the Tyler System is complete they will integrate into the Real Estate and Tax system. 
• Increased efforts in Community Outreach and Veterans Services.

Commissioner comments questions/answers:

• Gainer - Appreciated the Clerk’s efforts to develop a manual system to get tax certificates for Land Bank properties but is there an automated system in the offing. Hoping to complete the 3000 properties by the end of August. 
• Trevor - Are there plans to provide services to persons who cannot come downtown to their office? Working on developing kiosks that will be able to provide records and also planning to partner with local registrars. Also asked about plans to digitize older records. Possibly in the future.
• Stamps - Asked about safety and security for the November election. Office is working with the sheriff to address any issues that could arise. Comm. said she is working on an ordinance that will address election worker security.

Secretary to the Board 

Brandy Smith, Deputy Secretary and Victoria Sockwell, Archivist summarized their activities. Highlights of their presentation:

• Proposed budget for 2027 includes technological investments to enhance board operations that include a searchable data base, electronic voting, and language services but results in a  $250,000 shortfall. 
• FTEs has been 13 and will remain at 13.  
• The archives continue to expand resulting in space limitations. Working with Asset Management to procure the needed space so they can operate as they would like. 

Few questions from commissioners.

• Vasquez - asking where will the Archives go and how much space is needed? Would like about 10,000 square feet and in the County Building if possible. Also asked about a partnership with the Chicago History Museum and they are working on some type of collaboration. 

Observer - Cynthia Schilsky

Note that all Mid-year Budget Meetings are held by the Finance Committee of the Cook County Board

Budget Overview from the Bureau of Finance
July 21, 2026

Chief Financial Officer Angela Manning-Hardimon, Deputy CFOs Dean Constantinou and Asley Ramchandani, and Budget Director Ishida Musselwhite provided an overview of the projected end of the year actuals vs. budget and the explanation as to why the gap between revenues and expenses for the 2027 budget year is currently at $551 M, the largest since President Preckwinkle took office in 2010.

• For 2026, the General Fund is projected to finish with a favorable $283M, in part thanks to a one-time $115 M revenue from a cigarette settlement and higher than budgeted sales tax revenues of $122.7M.  
• The Health Enterprise Fund (which covers Cook County Health that is over half of the budget) is projected to end 2026 with an unfavorable $42.8 M.
• Both Funds have projected gaps for the upcoming 2027 year of$336M for the General Fund and $214.7M for the Health Fund, for a total of $551M.

The factors contributing to the General Fund imbalance for 2027 are

• The court finding that the Illinois Safe Roads Amendment severely restricts how the County can spend money from the Motor Fuel Tax
• The growing costs of payroll and related pension costs
• The increase in employee benefit costs

The factors contributing to the Health Enterprise Fund imbalance for 2027 are

• The Federal Change in Medicaid Coverage that takes effect on Jan. 1, 2027
• The increase in the uninsured (from both the increased costs for those previously insured under the Affordable Care Act and from the projected significant reductions in those eligible for Medicaid) that results in more charity care that will be provided 
• The rising costs of payroll and contractual labor

As a result of all these factors that are expected to continue to impact the revenues and costs of the County beyond 2027, the Bureau of Finance stated that it is imperative that the County consider a restructuring of its finances by

• Increasing budget evaluation of the needs, strategic priorities, operational capacity, deferred risk and fiscal constraints.  A multi-year budgeting framework will provide a forward-looking plan that improves discipline and will support transparent decision-making.
• Restructuring of the revenue sources to diversify and increase the revenue base while considering both adequacy and equity perspectives.

However, the County remains committed:

• To continue to remain on track to fully fund the pensions by 2047
• To utilize the money set aside a couple years ago in an ARPA Sustainability Fund to be able to continue funding 12 program previously funded under ARPA, fully for 2027 and then reducing funding over the next 3 years (through 2030) unless and until new funding is found and/or the programs are accordingly reduced.

Responses to Commissioner questions:

• From Anaya:  There will be no unassigned fund balance from past years that can be used to help balance 2027’s budget.
• From Gainer:  The County has determined how to allocate the property tax revenues to help balance Cook County Health.  Currently property taxes cover the costs of Cermak, health provided to the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, and the Department of Public Health.  Years ago, it was also used to cover uncompensated care.  CFO Manning said that the Bureau of Finance has been pressuring Cook County Health to provide a proposed balanced budget, and progress has been made.
• From Gainer:  The County receives $12 M from the cannabis tax, but the Commissioner wants to know what the total costs the County incurs in dealing with those using cannabis.  
• From Aguillar:  If the County took no steps to reduce the budget gap, by the end of 2027, it would fall below the floor for reserves under its policy.
• From Scott:  There are currently 2700 vacancies and an evaluation is going on now to determine what vacant positions need to be maintained.
• From Scott:  the expectation is that all federal ARPA dollars will be spent by the end of 2026.  Currently, there is $40 M unspent with another $40 M waiting for the invoices to come in.  (This is out of the $1 B the County got from ARPA.)

Offices under the President
July 21, 2026

Lanetta Haynes Turner, the President’s Chief of Staff, provided an overview of the some of the accomplishments of the different Bureaus and departments that are under the President.  She pointed out that while these offices are just 10% of the County’s budget and employees, they get involved with all areas of County government.  

There were a number of very specific questions from Commissioners with the following responses that may be of interest:

• From Anaya:  Asset Management expects to turn over the new Board Room to the Secretary to the Board for testing the audio-visual equipment by the end of next week, the last portion of the project.
• From Stamps: The Commissioner relayed that 5 young college graduates she sent to the County’s Job Fair at the Palmer House were not impressed.  HR Bureau Chief Haddox said that at the Fair over 60 people were interviewed and ultimately 5 people were hired from the Fair for positions under the President.  
• From Degnen:  Asked the head of Environment and Sustainability about ideas regarding water and energy use by data centers.  The response was that working with other groups and there have been many advances, such as using a closed system for water (e.g., reuse of water).
• From Degnen:  The report on the pilot Guaranteed Income Fund that has been expected all year is still being reviewed with the working group expanding to look at other such projects.  This will be provided in conjunction with the proposal for a new Guaranteed Income program.

Observer:  Priscilla Mims

Cook County Board Finance Committee Meeting
October 27, 2025

Bureau of Finance/ Budget Overview
Proposed 2026 Budget:  $10.01 Billion    Proposed 2026 Positions:            23.624.2
Actual 2025 Budget:       $  9.94 Billion    Actual 2025 Approved Positions: 23,541.5
Difference:           +$ 0.07 Billion    Difference:                       +82.7

General Fund (GF)

• Proposed Fiscal Year 2026 GF expenditures is $2.67B and includes closing the preliminary budget gap of $102.6M
• 83 FTE increase proposed; 64% of budget is allocated to payroll and benefit expenses
• Revenue, including Sales Tax, State subsidy, and $30M of Chicago TIF revenue, are expected to increase despite decreased property tax allocation to GF (more $ to Cook County Health and Election Fund)
• Starting to receive notice of Federal grants being reduced or eliminated;  Department of Energy grant of $2.1 M and $1.7M Emergency Management and Regional Security grant 
• Commissioner Miller recommended that all contracts over $5 M include a penalty for underperformance 

Health Enterprise Fund (Commissioners were generally asked to direct their questions on this Fund to Cook County Health during its Budget meeting)

• Closed preliminary budget gap of $108.8M through re-forecasting revenues and 10% expense reductions
• 110 FTE increase proposed to absorb existing positions from ARPA programs, from some programs previously covered by Special Purpose Funds, and grants
• Federal grants $315M appropriated, mostly over several years

Special Purpose Funds – some of the major funds and expenditures include

• $33.5M allocated to Equity Fund per the  FY2026 Fourth Installment Plan recently approved by the Board: no additional revenues to be allocated in FY2026
• Opioid Remediation and Abatement fund - $4M
• Infrastructure and Equipment: $15M for solar panels ($40M total in 2025-2029) expected to bring $18M rebate from Federal Government when completed
• $4.6M to procure new digital evidence management solution
• $65M allocated to a newly created Grant Risk Mitigation Fund from unspent 2025 monies.  This is to be used in the event of a loss of federal grant funds

The County is also looking to continue to fund 11 programs beyond 2026 that have been funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) through 2026.  Plans are to fund fully in 2027 and then either reduce funding and the scope of the programs or find other sources to continue to fully fund.

Offices under the President
Proposed 2026 Budget:  $1.718 Billion    Proposed 2026 Positions:                2,075.1
Actual 2025 Budget:       $1.830 Billion    Actual 2025 Approved Positions:     2,063.1
Difference:                     ($0.112 Billion)    Difference:                 +12.0 

Overview

• Total budget is 14.9% of County’s total budget of $10.01B
• Funding Sources: Special Purpose, Capital, General Funds and Grants

General Fund

• $283.9M, 74.7% for 2,075 FTEs’ salary/benefits, increase of 12 FTEs 
• Reduced vacancy rate by 6.2% in FY2025 (currently 16.2%)

​Observer - Sue Gregory

Cook County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee Meeting
October 30, 2025

Treasurer – Maria Pappas 
Proposed 2026 Budget $18,447,000                    Proposed 2026 Positions           78
Actual 2025 Budget       $17,708,000                    Actual 2025 Approved Positions     78
     Difference                 + $  739,000                    Difference                                         0 

Treasurer Pappas presented more than 70 pages of information of what her department is doing and achieving including:

• 94% of the 2026 budget revenue will come from fees. Only 3.7% is funded by taxpayers
• In 1998 the office had 250 employees versus the 78 today and budgeted for 2026
• Black and Latino Housing Matters direct outreach assistance has become a priority 
• To date, 15 published reports on property tax related topics including:  “How wealthy investors are making millions exploiting IL property tax law” and “a broken property tax appeals system”
• The annual tax sale auction number of days has been reduced from 20 to 4 days with 241,597 properties sold since 2008
• Released a 2025 study showing that homeowners in the highest-income areas appealed assessments 46% while the lowest income (primarily blacks and Latinos) 11% 
• The website can be accessed in 248 languages and certain brochures are available in 27
• Next Study is going to address county-wide TIF’s

Treasurer Pappas raised the following concerns:

• The need to extend the tax bill auction until the U.S. Supreme Court case is decided
• She doesn’t know when the Fall 2025 tax bills will be “clean enough” to go out 
• Her total lack of confidence in the new Property Tax System under the auspices of the Tyler company and the Assessor’s failure to run parallel systems while the new system was being implemented.  She gave many examples of problems with the information provided by Tyler from the new system during testing and said she will not release inaccurate tax bills

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County – Mariyana Spyropoulos
Prosed 2026 Budget $122,128,000    Proposed 2026 Positions                1,405
Actual 2025 Budget   $102,419,000    Actual 2025 Approved Positions     1,422
Difference                +$  19,709,000         Difference                                           (17)

Circuit Court Clerk Spyropoulos began her presentation with the office’s accomplishments since taking office after the Nov. 2024 election:

• Made strides with increasing transparency and modernizing her office by developing a public dashboard showing the cases but not the details of the cases which is available via an on-line search by case.  Also identifying weak spots and fixing them. (no details given)
• Rewrote the employee handbook including ethical standards
• Hired a new ethics officer
• Provides instant website translation in over 50 languages
• Waived fines and fees during amnesty week
• Working to ensure accurate and complete court records-ideally, by the end of the day
• 400 courtroom clerks retrained
• Brought the Clerk’s office to every corner of the county (all courtrooms)
• Working on an employee culture shift, not just a data shift

Clerk Spyropoulos met with the incoming Chief Judge to discuss her highest priorities including:

• Improving warrant technology
• Getting all Judges on board with new technology
• Developing a Strategic Plan
• Improving Courtroom Technology
• Training employees

Note:  There are 102 law enforcement agencies in Cook County that can initiate citations (tickets) and some still use paper.  By December the Clerk’s office should be able to accept all tickets in its system.
Commissioner Questions:  

• Comm.Degnan asked for a list of the clerk’s State Legislative Priorities:  Answer: Need a will depository
• Comm. Anaya:  Goal of # of clerks in courtrooms:  Ans:  Ideally, 1 per courtroom except in domestic violence and criminal courtrooms – 2 is ideal
• Comm. Vasquez: When asked about the time it takes to get paperwork to the Sheriff to release or detain an individual:  Ans:  the Sheriff needs a paper copy which is transmitted immediately via the “courtroom basket”.  However, the Sheriff’s deputy is responsible for getting the emit to the Sheriff’s office. 

Cook County Clerk – Monica Gordon
Proposed 2026 Budget:   $80,108,000       Proposed 2026 Positions                344
Actual 2025 Budget:         $73,441,000       Actual 2025 Approved Positions     349
Difference                        +$ 6,667,000                                        (5)

Clerk Gordon started by sharing priorities:

• Safeguarding elections including physical and cyber security
• Service to the public including outreach events
• Modernizing, streamlining, and more transparency
• For 2026 election: new dashboard, enhanced GIS tracking, security and logistics, campaign for early voting in light of Federal intimidation.  Can provide information by neighborhood of who hasn’t voted and who voted early.
• Provide automated smart box drop off which will go to every early vote site by November and in 6 Court Houses for the March 2026 Primary.  Note:  the new boxes will have the ability for fire suppression. 
• Expanding the piloted “appointment system” to obtain records now in Markam courthouse to other locations to save wait times and long lines
• Youth voter outreach and education - 25 Suburban high schools are being recruited to be a 1-day early voting site with student election judges.  
• Projects mail-in ballots will expand from 400,000 in the last two elections to 600,000 for November 2026. Now able to use non-profit postal rates because the Postal Service is required to send ballots priority mail.  Will save millions of dollars on postage

Regarding the new Property Tax System being spearheaded by the Tyler company:

• The office has found 47 defects with the new system of which 9 are critical, and 6 are major.  The Clerk gave 20 years of tax history to Tyler to help them with validation. The data dictionary has a lot of coding errors that affect the correct transfer of data.
• The entire staff is trained and being trained on the system
• Asked by Commission Trevor if it is possible to go into the old system – Ans:  No for Treasurer and Assessor offices.  Yes for Clerk, but would have to transfer the data.
• Comm. Vasquez said that there needs to be a clear understanding of property tax issues if communities of color are ever able to get a chance to latch onto the American Dream.

Other Commissioner Questions:

• Comm. Degnan asked for advance policy planning on how to handle Federal presence at polling sites.  While giving the answer, the Clerk’s staff said that there is a decrease from $400 M to $15 M from the current administration for federal election needs, including cyber security.
• Comm. Britton wants the pilot program currently only in Palatine that provides a portal to access vital records to be expanded.
• Comm. Scott wants to push for high schools to be more engaged and offered to help

Observer:  Diane Edmundson                                                        

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

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

Highlights from Assessor Kaegi’s presentation

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

Commissioner Questions:

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

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

Highlights from the OIIG’s presentation:

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

Comm. Questions/Comments

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

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

Highlights of Presentation by Ms. Soto and staff:

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

Commissioner Questions/Comments:

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

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

Highlights of Presentation:                            

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

Commissioner Questions/Comments:

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

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

Observer - Cynthia Schilsky

Cook County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee Meeting 
October 29, 2025 

Sheriff’s Department: Thomas Dart 
Proposed 2026 Budget: $814,655,918    Proposed 2026 Positions:          5,466.3
Actual 2025 Budget:       $750,891,179    Actual 2025 Approved Positions    5,721.0
Difference            + $63,764,739    Difference:                  (254.8)

• Sheriff Dart mentioned that the reduction in FTEs was primarily due to the move of the electronic monitoring program to the Chief Judge’s Office. 
• He did indicate that the policing side might be problematic in that towns having budget problems use the Sheriff’s Office (SO) more often (e.g., Harvey). Commissioner McCaskill asked for information on how much helping underserved communities like Harvey costs and how it impacts SO. Answer – about $2M. It impacts SO significantly when it’s not planned. This can result in overtime. In contrast, using the example of Harvey, the SO knew that it was necessary unless State stepped in so could plan for it.  . He also explained overtime number in that he can often have 200+ absentees in a day. Staff needs to call in only two hours in advance of absence. This results in personnel being on job longer while replacements are called in. Commissioner Degnan suggested using technology to schedule staffing of courtrooms.
• Electronic Monitoring: The switch to the Chief Judge’s Office (CJO) continues. Expectation is completion within six months, though some still left with Sheriff. Commissioner Gainer questioned whether data was captured under the program that informed Sheriff Office decisions and focus and whether that would continue under CJO. Dart indicated they definitely used data and CJO representative indicated that would continue and possibly be expanded. 
• Mental health calls: Dart advised that officers were trained in dealing with mental health calls and de-escalating situations. Individuals were directed to support services. Issue was to how to get information to public so use of law enforcement less involved. Suggestions included using a special phone number (e.g., 988) for public, more information to public. Commissioner Trevor asked whether the Sheriff’s Office worked with township. Dart indicated not. SO also has access to Illinois Department of Human Services in emergencies.
• Helicopter: Use has stopped two carjackings and two armed robberies. Also can be used to patrol expressways with license plate capture to stop shoulder riders and speeding. Dart advised that in one day of this use, the fines covered a week of fuel for the helicopter, so has revenue value trade off. There has been no quarterly report on helicopter since only in operation since October 1. Commissioner McCaskill asked if SO was getting real time information and if communities could tie into that rather than using a Skydio service, which is expensive. Dart indicated it was possible.
• Retail theft: Working with businesses, SO has recovered $6M and broken up organized theft rings. Dart advised that problem will continue because where once they could concentrate on ground operations with “fences” being used, now stolen goods are put online.
• ICE: SO working with Chief Judge; signage on restrictions and process posted outside courthouse. Adhering to Trust Act. ICE not allowed in courthouse; SO does not transfer people unless there is a criminal warrant signed by judge and clerk stamp. Officers have been trained on immigrant sanctuary issues and updated so to adapt to changing circumstances. Commissioner Trevor asked about training and issues in unincorporated Cook County. Dart indicated there was little activity lately but they were keeping eyes on the situation. Adherence to procedures issues reviewed by Office of Professional Review. SO has offered suburban police training on Trust Act responsibilities. Sheriff Dart responded to Commissioner questions about requests from ICE to SO. He advised that there had really been none.
• Body cameras: In response to Commissioner Stamps questions, Dart explained that purchases had been divided into three trenches, with the 2026 allocation the last; all appropriate staff will have body cameras as of next year; started with most important level (i.e., street officers) and moved up from there. In response to Commissioner Vasquez’s question, he advised that body cameras are to be on when involved in action. Cameras are leased so can keep up with technology; maintenance, storage, repairs will need to be budgeted. 
• Domestic Violence/Orders of Protection:  Commissioners Stamps and McCaskill had questions. Dart advised process for serving Orders of Protection, including using tech support to help locate subject, advised 20 FTEs had been added to unit. Explained that problem was powers of SO in serving papers. Officers are not allowed to enter private facilities (e.g., home) without permission, so subject can just not answer door to SO. Extra funding needed; possible separate unit; get intel services involved; sending info to officers on street helps speed process, aids efficiency of service. grid
• Detainee Release and Jail Time: Commissioner Scott was concerned about detainees being discharged late at night and not being able to access transportation home or connected to services. The Sheriff explained that 90% of people in system are connected to some program and SO makes sure they have some sort of support or ride home. Question was why so late at night. The system still in use for judicial authorization to release is still in paper form. Commissioner Vasquez asked about published reports that the Odyssey program electronically cover this. Dart explained that the Odyssey program does not provide an order signed by a judge with the clerk’s stamp that is needed to release a detainee. Commissioner McCaskill asked about a comprehensive plan to reduce jail time; 15 people in jail awaiting trial for 10 years, 181 waiting for 5 years. Dart responded that it was more a Judiciary issue than the SO.

Miscellaneous: 

• Commissioner Stamps suggested making the SO budget public and use Infographics to simplify.
• Commissioner Degnan asked about 911 call center and involving more municipalities. Dart indicated municipalities tend to be territorial so may not join. 
• Commissioners Anaya, Aguilar questioned line items where no longer requested funds. Response was that some were moved to different departments, merged with other units or had title changes.

Observer: Hollis Burgess