Category: Gun Violence

Gun Violence - Topic at Cook County Board Meeting

5/22/2021

Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting
May 13, 2021
Attendance: all 17 commissioners were present. Meeting led by President Preckwinkle
Public Speakers

Congressman Robin Kelly spoke to the board about President Biden’s efforts to fight gun violence. He is proposing $5 Billion to fund community-based violence prevention programs. It includes job training and job opportunities. The Justice Department would report on gun trafficking and would establish model red flag laws for the states to use. She also discussed separate bills that she is working on to fund community programs. She and other Congressmen have written to the Appropriations Committee to increase funding for these community- based initiatives. Several commissioners spoke in support of these efforts. Commissioner Lowry wants to work on a high school program on teaching conflict resolution. Commissioner Daley said that he was proud of Cook County’s investment in violence prevention projects in minority areas. The Judicial Advisory Council receives quarterly reports on the outcomes of the investments.
There were two resolutions connected to gun violence.
Commissioner Deer spoke in support of his resolution 21-2664 declaring gun violence a public health crisis. This was later approved
21-3157 A resolution supporting the Biden Harris Administration Gun Violence Prevention Plan. Approved.
Jacky Glass of Hargrove Hospital spoke in support of resolution 21-3123 recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness month. This resolution was approved.

Board Action

21-2034 Inspector General’s report for first quarter 2021. There was no discussion. It was received and filed.
21-2894 Changes the County Board meeting date from Sept 16 to Sept. 23. Changes the Rules and Finance Committees meetings from Sept 15 to Sept 22. Approved.
21-3092 Report from the CFO on expenditures related to Coronavirus Relief Funds, the Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Grant, and Emergency Rental Assistance from March 1, 2020 through March 30, 2021. There was no discussion. It was received and filed.
21-3130 Ordinance amendment to add the Special State’s Attorneys’ reports to be submitted to the Litigation Subcommittee. It provides that the State’s Attorney and Special State’s Attorney provide prior notice and justification to the Litigation Subcommittee prior to settling any matter in excess of $500,000. They also must provide advance notice of any matter that they anticipate will be settling in excess of $500,000. Referred to the Finance Committee.
21-3131 Kevin Morrison proposed the Cook County Information Technology Reporting Ordinance. It requires that all separately elected officials funded by Cook County have to submit reports on IT projects. The purpose of the ordinance is to streamline IT reporting and to ensure regular updates on projects. Referred to Technology and Innovation Committee
21=3145 Cook County’s Proclamation of Disaster was extended through June30. There was no discussion, but Commissioners Degnen and Sean Morrison voted no.
21-3149 Proposed resolution requesting a hearing into the policies and practices of the County and Forest Preserve to protect the civil rights of immigrants, BIPOC residents, and visitors within Cook County. This was referred to the Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.
21-3166 Proposed resolution for a racially equitable and thriving recovery, by investing the County’s allocation of the American Rescue Plan funding in public services in Black, Brown, and poor communities not administered by law enforcement. Referred to the Finance Committee.
21-3168 Authorizes the Bureau of Economic Development to enter into a grant agreement with the Friends of the Forest Preserve to support the COVID-19 Youth Conservation Corps summer employment program. Approved.
21-3171 Proposed ordinance for COVID-19 vaccination rights for employees and employer obligations. Provides that employees have the right to be vaccinated during work hours and employers cannot retaliate against them. Referred to Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

Other Items

21-2307 Approval of contract extension for the demolition of Division 1 at the jail. Commissioner Miller questioned why there was an extension. Commissioner Anaya asked for the pause in the work because the residents of the Little Village neighborhood had concerns over the demolition. The County held community meetings on how the process would work and installed air monitoring equipment. Commissioner Kevin Morrison asked about preserving some of the historical pieces from the jail such as parts of the edifice and parts of Al Capone’s cell. The County Archive managers is checking with the Chicago History Museum and others to see if they have any interest in such pieces. Secretary De Leon said they were considering preserving a cell for historical context but they would need to find a place for it.
21-2555 Audit Grant Management Process Report Period March 2021. No discussion. Concurrence with report.

Observed by: Kathi Graffam Meeting Length: 10am until 12:40 PM

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Cook County Board Discusses Diversity, Covid Vaccinations, Gun Violence and Juvenile Justice

4/18/2021

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Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting via Zoom
April 15, 2021
Attendance: all 17 commissioners were present. Meeting led by President Preckwinkle

Items of Interest Sent to Committee:

Agenda Item 21-2634: This item involves the speeding up of payments to contractors, especially minority and women owned business enterprises. The goal is for these businesses to receive payment within 30 days. Electronic means will be utilized to aid in the process. Many Commissioners asked to be Co-Sponsors. This was sent to the Finance Committee.
Agenda Item 21-2662: Declaration of Gun Violence as a Public Health Crisis. This topic took up much discussion as statistics were explored (3893 shootings in 2020 as compared to 2536 in 2019, for example.) The cost of treating gun shot victims is between $30 and $40 million. Many Commissioners asked to be Co-Sponsors of this. It was referred to the Health and Hospital Committee.
Agenda Item 21-2427: The requirement for progress reports on the Recorder of Deeds office as it is now under the Office of the Clerk. This item was referred to the Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee without discussion.

Board Action:

Agenda Item 21-2133: Reappointment of Hedy Ratner to the head of the Human Rights Commission. Many Commissioners spoke out in favor of Ms. Ratner as many knew her and worked with her for many years on women’s issues. She is credited with much progress in the areas of reproductive rights and economic progress. Her tireless efforts have led to many county contracts with MBE and WBE (minority and women business enterprises). She was called “a treasure of the 3rd district”.
Agenda Item 21-2516- Cook County’s Disaster Proclamation was extended until May 31st. The same 2 Commissioners voted “No” (Degnan and Sean Morrison) but no reasons were given this month. The vote was 15-2.
Agenda Item 21-2309 The Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) has an advisory board that wrote a report with recommendations for the JTDC. Much of the report centered around solitary confinement. The report was received and filed with the CC Board. A spokesperson for Chief Judge Evans, Jim Anderson. announced the formation of a committee to study these recommendations. The Chicago Tribune reported on this committee in a short article the next day. It stated that Commissioner Suffredin would be on this committee along with former Commissioner Richard Boykin, among others.
Agenda Item 21-2658- This resolution was passed to address violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Many commissioners asked to be added as co-sponsors as statistics were discussed on the increasing number of incidents of violence and harassment against these groups.
Agenda Item 21-1369 The Performance Review Report was received and filed. There was no discussion.
Agenda Item 21-2378- This proposed grant award for mass Covid-19 vaccinations in Cook County was accepted with much fanfare. President Preckwinkle announced that the 2 days prior to the meeting (April 13th and 14th) saw record daily numbers of people receiving doses through CCH (about 14,000 each day) She also announced the 500,000th dose had just been achieved by CCH facilities. She also announced a brand new facility opening in Matteson.
Agenda Item 21-1963- Peter Creticos’ firm was given a contract to work on the redistricting of Cook County Commissioners’ districts. President Preckwinkle thanked Commissioner Sims for leading the committee on this task, which she called “a thankless job”.
Agenda Item 21-1218 The resolution condemning the Acts of Domestic Terrorism at the capitol on Jan.6,2021 received much support, much discussion, and an abundance of gratitude to Commissioner Johnson for bringing this to the board. Many Commissioners asked to be added as co-sponsors. Commissioner Deer quoted the preamble to the US Constitution about “insuring domestic tranquility” and added that there was none on that day.
Agenda Item 21-2125- Sheila Chalmers-Curran, the Mayor of Matteson was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Cook County Land Bank Authority.
Agenda Item 21-2677- Modifications were made to the Land Bank Authority Ordinance including a change that will allow the Cook County President to appoint the Executive Director with approval of the Board of Directors of the Land Bank..

Recognized on the Consent Agenda were 2 individuals who have impacted Criminal Justice within Cook County.

Amy Campanelli, the head of the Public Defenders office was given a great deal of thanks by many Commissioners and the President for her work. She just stepped down as her term was up and Sharone Mitchell was chosen to succeed her.
Pam Rodriguez, the head of TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities), has retired.

Observer - Jan Goldberg Meeting Duration: 10am until 1:30 PM

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Cook County Board Business Conducted At Lightening Speed After 2 Hour Retirement Ceremony

12/20/2019

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Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting
December 19, 2019

The Board devoted the first 2 hours of their meeting to the honoring of retiring employee Martha Martinez, former Commissioner Jerry Butler, and the late Reverend Clay Evans. Testimonials lauded Martinez for thirty-four years of exemplary service. Former Commissioner Jerry Butler received a touching tribute from the Board. HIs career as a popular vocal artist and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was noted. Commissioner Butler sang one of his hits, “Let It Be Me” to the delight of all present. The late Reverend Clay Evans was honored as an icon of the black community and for his work on civil rights with Dr. Martin Luther King.

Action Items:

Agenda Item 20-0016- The proposed amendment to the Inspector General ordinance regarding reports and public statements was referred to the legislative committee. It requires that the IG share a statement with the head of the affected department and not issue a public statement for ten days. If the department has a response, this must be attached to the public statement. The Civic Federation supported this amendment during the public comment period.
Agenda Item 20-0735- The Board unanimously passed a resolution supporting federal universal background checks for firearms. It is hoped that this will add pressure for passage of gun control legislation in Washington.
Agenda Item 20-0721- The Board unanimously passed a resolution to support refugee resettlement efforts in Cook County. Several agencies testified to the challenge of working under current punitive federal policy.
Agenda Item 20-0437- Approved an intergovernmental agreement between the pension fund and Cook County. In 2016 the pension was 54% funded. $306.2 million will be contributed for 2020. This infusion of funds has now raised the percentage funded to 68%, one of the highest in the state.
Agenda Item 20-0732 - Changes in committee chairmanships were approved. These new assignments will give greater responsibility to the newer members of the Board.
Agenda Item 20-0658 - Proposed tax on cannabis was referred to the finance committee.
Agenda Item 20-1831- Board approved a commission chaired by Britton to create a new design for the county flag. The deadline is 2021 when the county celebrates its 190th anniversary. High school students will be asked to submit designs in a competition.
Agenda Item 20-0726 - Board approved a resolution to support Cook County Health’s construction of a new Provident Hospital. It also provides for the Cook County Board Health & Hospital Committee to hold a hearing to receive an update on the project.
Agenda Item 20-0712 - Board approved a resolution to discuss the Cook County Health Formulary Program. The resolution describes how insurance companies use “step therapy” in an effort to control drug costs. Step therapy is when patients first try the less costly drugs to see if they work. This can delay patients getting the treatment they need.
Agenda Item 20-0011 - Proposed ordinance regarding zoning for recreational cannabis was referred to committee.
Agenda Item 20-0579- Board approved authority for Public Defender to accept $500,000 grant to aid data analytics.

Commissioners Daley, Deer, Suffredin, Arroyo, Sylvestri, Gainer and Moore thanked Dr. Shannon (CCH) for his service to Cook County Health. Dr. Shannon was present and acknowledged their kind words.

Observer - Georgia Gebhardt Meeting Length: 3 hours, 20 minutes (includes 40 minute lunch break)

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Cook County State's Attorney Requests Additional Funds to Hire 16 Attorneys

10/28/2018

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Cook County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee Departmental Budget Hearings
October 24, 2018

State’s Attorney

Commissioners Absent: Butler, Fritchey, Goslin, Gainer and Garcia.

State's Attorney (SA) Kim Fox stated that:

Her department inherited over $2 million debt and has paid down 1/2 of that debt so far.
Her strong focus is on data and evidence, integrity and transparency.
The Cook County prosecutor office is second in the country, after LA.
They have a Conviction Integrity Unit and referenced 50 people wrongly convicted. She mentioned the importance of rebuilding trust.
They have an 85% conviction rate in gun cases (up from 50%). Her focus is on violent crime. Misdemeanor cases are being looked at as there is a high number.
Best practice is 400 cases per Assistant State's Attorney (ASA) Cook County ASA’s have about 3000 cases. Further, about 50% end in dismissal. A lot has to do with the need for victims to show up in court. There is no mechanism to screen out dismissal cases.
About 250,000 cases come from suburbs.

Com. Daley and Silvestri asked about Electronic Monitoring (EM). SA Fox said that she has no position regarding consolidating or what the difference is between EM from the Judges or Sheriffs departments.

There was a question regarding the money spent on outside counsel, which is significantly different between inside or outside counsel. SA Fox asked for money to hire 16 attorneys (the number that was lost previously). This would allow her to decrease outside counsel and save money. Request is for $945,000 up to $1.3 million for FTE’s.

SA Fox discussed a felony review guidebook for Chicago Police Department with the goal to have consistency with charging.

Suffredin asked about the revenue generated from civil diversion: Narcotic forfeiture fund (modeled after New York) and the Records automation fund where money comes from the state. More money is not being generated because they don’t have enough resources.

SA Fox discussed community justice centers for the south and west sides. Idea is to invest resource in prosecutorial engagement. Prosecutor office is involved at the end of the process rather than front end. SA Fox wants more money for resources to put in crime reduction investment and prevention.

Observer - Laura Davis

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Cook County Budget Hearings Continue for Second Day

7/30/2018

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Cook County Board Finance Committee - July 24, 2018
Midyear Budget Hearing - Day 2 - Morning Session

I arrived right at 9AM for the hearings and there were 2 commissioners present (Suffredin and Morrison) other than Chariman Daley. Seven more arrived by 9:30AM and 3 more by 11AM. Absent for the entire morning session were Commissioners Goslin, Gainer, Butler, and Fritchey. Commissioner Sims asked everyone the core mission of his or her department and if there was any waste to cut. She did this even when both questions were answered in the original presentation. Commissioner Morrison asked everyone what new taxes they would propose, if any. Most took no stand on this issue.

Board of Review (BoR): I came in just as their presentation was wrapping up, but I heard all of the questions.

Their budget is only 1% of the whole county’s budget so any increase in personnel should be considered, according to the 3 BoR Commissioners present (Patlak, Rogers, and Cabonargi).
Their biggest problem was losing experienced analysts in the past year. They would like 11 new ones.
Their staff picked up 16,00 extra overtime hours in the past year and were not given more money for this. This was equal to 13 FTE’s.
Most of the hearing was about community events called workshops in which the tax appeals process was explained to the public. Many commissioners participated in these events. Also the B of R said it was a good way for staff to see the properties that were being discussed. More appeals are to be expected this year.

The Assessor: This presentation and Q and A session was extremely short. It lasted maybe 15 minutes.

Assessor Berrios said he would have no trouble keeping within his budget this year due to new technology. This has helped to eliminate positions that became unnecessary.
Commissioners seemed focused on Senior exemptions and the process that it entails. Ways of simplifying the process were mentioned.

Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS): A short report was given to each commissioner.

Dr. Shannon said that no new revenues would be requested this year or for FY 2019. They will live within their budget mainly due to the fact that they now have 330,000 new patients enrolled in County Care (up from 270,000). Most new patients come with Medicaid funds which includes federal reimbursement for now.
They have been able to solve any deficit spending by renegotiating contracts with vendors.
Some of their proudest achievements other than the above include getting Cermak hospital out from under its consent decree (this is the jail hospital at Cook County Jail), a technology award for having all patient records electronically filed, and for expanding its charity care (care to those with no insurance at all).
In addition, the future looks to be one of 5-6% growth for a number of reasons. They expect more community centered clinics, especially those that deal with dialysis and dental care, and they have taken on the mental health services for kids in the JTDC (juvenile detention).
They also hope to get to the underlying causes of bad health such as poor diet, housing and lack of job opportunity. He did not say exactly how a health care system would manage those issues, but he is working to obtain grants to study these issues.
He is working on a better system of bill collection to alleviate previous problems.
Comm. Boykin asked about the issue of gun violence as a health epidemic and what CCHHS was doing about it. Dr. Shannon listed many solutions. He said that he agreed with the commissioner and cited last weekend’s shooting statistics: 20 of 35 shooting victims were taken to Stroger.
He said that in the case of a juvenile detainee, CCHHS was linking services he was getting while incarcerated with those out in the community once he was released.
CCHHS is expanding its care under Mental and Behavioral issues in order to treat the whole person. This would include linking that patient with substance abuse programs and programs for depression or anxiety.
CCHHS is working with Westside United and Rush Hospital in order to improve health in several west side neighborhoods.

At one point the hearing got a bit controversial as Commissioner Moore asked about a lawsuit against a doctor in a malpractice case. States Attorney Kim Foxx, who was on deck to speak next, answered that this matter was in litigation and could not be discussed in open hearing. Chairman Daley stifled any more conversation on this issue.

State’s Attorney: Presentation was given by Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx.

Ms. Foxx said that this past year has been tough because last summer she missed an entire hiring cycle. Most of her new hires come in the summer after new grads finish law school and the bar exam. She was down in staff since her office did not have enough money to hire last summer. This summer is better and she is trying to live within her current budget.
In FY 2019 she would like $1.97M more to hire 20 FTE’s.
On civil cases she needs more experienced lawyers since she represents every county employee who needs defending. The conviction integrity unit has only 5 attorneys and 268 new cases came in this year. Her attorneys have 2-4x the amount of cases recommended by the American Bar Association.
The SA Office also has attorneys working with the Chicago Police Department (CPD) on intelligence gathering in the Englewood and Harrison districts in order to solve gun crimes. Training CPD and suburban police chiefs in how to gather evidence can save money if there are less faulty convictions.
Comm. Suffredin commended her for doing a good job.
Ms. Foxx appealed to simple math often. Hiring outside counsel, she said would cost anywhere from $300 to $500 per hour on civil cases. Her attorneys cost about $90 per hour.

The Public Defender (PD): Presentation given by Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanell. She put up a big poster board with her core mission and with a list of some of the duties performed by her office.

Ms. Campanelli said that in FY2018 positions that were vacant for a long time were slowly being filled and that she was on target to live within her current budget.
She wanted more staff in FY 2019 especially to start a mental health unit, but did not give a specific price tag unless asked. She said that she had asked for this several years in a row . She now had a business plan worked up in which she would use student interns who were psychology or social work majors at local universities to help. Their assistance would be at no cost to the county. Early psych evaluations can also speed up the disposition of many cases. Comm. Deer asked her how much a mental health unit would cost the county. She said that she could do it for a mere $225,000. This would save money at trial since many psych professionals testify at a cost of $500 per hour.
She also noted that now the PD is on call for arrestees in every police district in Chicago. She even gave out the PD phone number several times. A recent survey of 120 arrestees showed that 22 were released because the arrests should never have happened. This saves the county money. PD’s helped this to happen.
She has also asked for more grant money to employ social workers and more lawyers to work with detainees awaiting trial who might be in danger of losing custody of their children.

Observer - Jan Goldberg

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Hospital System CFO in Hot Seat at Cook County Board Meetings

5/11/2018

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Cook County Board of Commissioners and Committee Meetings - April 25, 2018
Meeting Length - 4 hours, including breaks. Committee meetings started at 10am.

FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING
The Finance Committee, which met from 10:09am to 11:40am, spent considerable time grilling the Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS) CFO about the $174 million in denials in 2016 and 2017 as reported in the Inspector General’s (IG) 4/13/18 quarterly report for 1Q 2018.

Commissioners, Boykin, Daley, Gainer and Morrison asked most of the questions in trying to determine what led to the loss of $174 million - $108 million in 2016 and $66 million in 2017. Boykin referenced the report stating that denials can be attributed to scheduling, patient registration, coding errors, physician and nurses, inadequate and inaccurate coding. He noted that 1/3 was written off because of untimely filed medical bills.
In response to Comm. Gainer’s question, the HHS CFO said yes – the $174 million was lost due to missed collection deadlines and clerical error.
The Finance Committee talked briefly about another topic, but then Comm. Gainer asked about the CCHHS collection rate. The CCHHS CFO responded that the charges are different from billing and different from collections. Typically, patient collectibles are 30% or a $50 million loss on $175 million in charges.
In response to questions, it was revealed that there had been about 1,200 patients treated for gunshot wounds at a cost of $35,000 per patient. However, it was unknown what percentage was covered by insurance.
It was clarified that the $174 million written off was separate from uninsured. $317 million that was written off for charity care.
Comm. Boykin expressed frustration with the responses he received. Comm. Suffredin stepped in, stating that the CCHHS CFO came to the meeting prepared to address the monthly report – not the IG report. He suggested a special meeting to address the IG report be scheduled.

Comm. Daley wrapped up the Finance Committee meeting stating that they need clarity on the $174 million in losses.

ZONING AND BUILDING COMMITTEE MEETING
Next the Zoning Committee met from 11:40 am to 12:50 pm. They passed a bunch of recommendations.

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING
Pres. Preckwinkle called the meeting to order at 11:54 am, then went into recess at 12:26 pm; reconvened at 1:08 pm and adjourned at about 2:08 pm.

Regarding 18-3099 a lease agreement for CCHHS, a question was asked about the expenditure of $1.5 to $2 million to lease space rather than incorporate it in the new building. It appears to be a bonding issue, which limits the capitalization plan. It was noted that the rent will be $23/SF with 79 free parking spaces, which is $2 less than market comps in the Medical District around Stroger. Staff felt it was the best deal in the newly renovated space.
There was also reference to the Inspector General’s report on CCHHS billing issues at the Board meeting, that had been previously referred to in the Finance Committee meeting.

Items to Watch for in the Future

Special hearing on the $174 million in CCHHS denial of billing by insurance companies.

Other Comments or Observations

Several members from the Illinois Committee of Blind Vendors spoke during public comment. They referenced the “Blind Lives Matter” movement, that the unemployment rate for people who are blind is 70%, as well as an Enterprise Program for the Blind (a training program). They referenced the Blind Vendors Act. (I found reference to the BVA in the 1/17/18 Board meeting materials where it was referred to the Asset Management Committee’s 2/7/2018 meeting, which appears to have been cancelled. There does not appear to have been another meeting.)
They mentioned that blind vendors have the right of first refusal on federal and state property and are looking for commission-free opportunities and partnerships like they have with state and federal. They advocated for the commissioners to vote in favor of the Blind Vendors Act of Cook County.

Observer - Peggy Pissarreck

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Gun Violence - Topic at Cook County Board Meeting

Cook County Board Discusses Diversity, Covid Vaccinations, Gun Violence and Juvenile Justice

Cook County Board Business Conducted At Lightening Speed After 2 Hour Retirement Ceremony

Cook County State's Attorney Requests Additional Funds to Hire 16 Attorneys

Cook County Budget Hearings Continue for Second Day

Hospital System CFO in Hot Seat at Cook County Board Meetings

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