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

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

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

Meeting with State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx

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

Meeting with the office of the Chief Judge Timothy Evans

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

Meeting with Inspector General Tirrell Paxton

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

Meeting with Secretary to the Board Lynne Turner

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

Meeting with Veterans Assistance Commission Head Elizabeth Soto

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

Meeting with Public Defender Sharone R. Mitchell, Jr.

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

Observers:  Priscilla Mims and Karin Hribar

Cook County Board of Commissioners (CCBC)
Committee Meetings
June 12, 2024

Legislation and Inter Governmental Relations Committee
Several appointments were voted on and recommended for approval by the CCBC.  The recommendations were:

• Tirrell Paxton, Independent Inspector General, Office of CC Independent Inspector General, for a term from 6/17/2024 to 6/16/2030 (Item 24-3215),
• Dr. Sage Kim, as Director to CCH Board of Directors to complete the partial term from 6/13/2024 -8/1/2025 (Item 24-313) 
• Rachel Sinnen to Cook County Board of Ethics for a Term from 6/13/2024-6/13/2028 (Item 24-3202).

Finance Committee

• Received update from Comptroller Dean Cosentino on Cook County Health (CCH) reporting that it has a favorable balance at this time, that the State of Illinois owes CCH millions of dollars and there has been a $10M decrease in the amount owed.  Health Fund has a favorable balance with a 21.5% higher than budgeted enrollment in County Care.
• The Long-Term Revenue Forecast Quarterly Report (24-3092) indicates that the general fund revenues are predicted to be lower in the long term with the specter of slower growth which impacts sales tax collection.
  
• Impact Summary was provided on Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt (CCLAHD)  (24-3030). Its goal was to keep people stably housed in the Covid19 crisis, led by Comm Suffredin, Daley, and Annaya and was an AARPA investment. It was stated that CCLAHD serves as a model in reimagining ways to provide services in its Early Resolution Mortgage Foreclosure Program, using cross collaboration with the courts as a partner to reduce homelessness, reduce vacant properties by preventing evictions and foreclosures/slow the process and to provide level of service appropriate to the client and circumstances of the case, fair and better court processes, case managers for conflict resolution and coordinating services. More than 75,000 people have been served. 7300 fewer cases since 2022 were placed with Sheriff’s Office for eviction, a 23% reduction. Commissioners were provided with a folder of materials and a slide show was used that was readable on the observer’s iPad. Com Daley gave commendations regarding the program and expressed concerns regarding funding sources beyond ARPA monies. Com. Annaya noted the thoughtful planning involving multiple partners and thanked the Bureau of Economic Development for their participation. Com Britton mentioned work is being done to utilize public libraries as an option for court appearances. He stated that this is an example that Cook County government is about improving access to services, including States Attorney, Courts, and Sheriff’s Offices. Com. Sean Morrison offered his compliments and concerns about future funding.  He also indicated that municipalities get notice first regarding eviction and noted the need to ensure all communities know about this resource. 
• Grant management services contract in the amount of approximately $899K, spent over 2 years was recommended for approval (24-2115). This had the concurrence of the Chief Procurement Officer. The goal is “to redesign grant management infrastructure of Cook County to promote maximum grant fund recovery and compliance with federal and state regulations”
• There was much discussion regarding the Arts Alliance Illinois agreement, reducing its budget and entering sub recipient agreement with Local Initiatives Support Corporation Chicago-ie LISC Chicago- and a resolution (24-1676) was recommended for Board approval after an overview was provided by LISC Chicago and discussion with the Board. This authorized the Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Economic Development to amend the Art Alliance agreement and enter into a new subrecipient agreement with LISC Chicago for Cook County Arts for up to $2.3M through 2026 to provide technical assistance to projects that support the arts in suburban Cook as well as administer and distribute grants to advance these projects; this broadens LISC Chicago’s focus to the suburbs. Com Daley stated that going forward, recipients should be present anytime grants are to be awarded. 

Audit Committee  

• Mary Modelski, County Auditor, presented reports to the Audit Committee which were received and filed.
• These several reports monitored progress with compliance on specific metrics.  For example, 24-2210, Medical Examiners audit was to assess internal controls over cash process to see if it was adequate. It was found that inadequate communication between the ME office and the  Dept of Revenue relating to bounced checks needed to be rectified. Recommendation was to add additional tracking measures regarding when contact was made, and how the situation was addressed.
• Another example was an assessment of services provided by a security vendor, whether it was following the scope of contracted services. Modelski stated management accepted all recommendations from reports. 

Environment and Sustainability Committee

• Recommended approval of a resolution requesting a hearing on the updated Cook County Solid Waste Management Plan (24-2870). A 45% waste diversion rate is the goal for 2030; the County is currently at 27%. The southern area of Chicago has less than 4yr space available in landfill. Among the recommendations to support management in the south suburbs is to fold into a joint action agency that would include technical assistance and coordinated strategies.
• There was discussion about plan to open additional Centers for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHARM Centers), similar to the one at South Suburban College, perhaps located on campuses of junior colleges. South Suburban Mayors Assoc reported a decrease in illegal dumping since CHARM was opened. 
• Recommendation for Approval of a Proposed Memorandum of Agreement Climate Pollution Reduction Agreement (24-2832) between the Chicago and Cook County in applying for a US EPA grant. The City of Chicago is the lead agency for the application. The grant request is for $200M. This proposal is focused on three areas: 1) industrial decarbonization programs, 2) decarbonization of public facilities, and 3) diversion of food waste from landfills. This was recommended for Board action.

Other Items of Interest:

• Recommended items for approval in Finance Commt. included several related to housing.
• Committee meetings began at 9:10am. The Observer stopped at 2:53pm when CCH Public Hearings were starting. 
• There was public testimony at the start of the Finance Committee meeting, including someone who received help from CCLAD.

Observer:  Carolyn Cosentino

Cook County Board of Commissioners 
Committee Meetings 
​March 13, 2024


FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE ON LITIGATION
During the public comment period, the League of Women Voters of Cook County expressed its concern that the position of the Cook County Independent Inspector General (“IIG”) has not been filled on a permanent basis for 17 months.  

• The prior Inspector General retired in October of 2022.  The League said that the General Council of the Office of the IIG has ably served as the Interim IIG.  However, the League stated that having this top position along with one of the two Deputy positions not being filled on a permanent basis for so long must be having a detrimental impact on both the work and personnel in this small, but critical office.
• The League said it would like to know that the process of filling these two positions has been moving forward and that the public will soon be hearing about the appointment of a new IIG. 
• Commissioner Britton, Chair of the Subcommittee, said he will follow up to see where the process stands.

Observer:  Priscilla Mims  

AUDIT COMMITTEE:
County Auditor Mary Modelski presented her report on Grant Administration and general Management at the Justice Advisory Council (JAC) in fiscal year 2022.  No audit had been done in at least 10 years.  The report (item 24-1025) included only grants administered through the operating fund budget (about $14 million in 2022) and excluded any ARPA grants, which will be looked at later.
    Issues brought up in the report or by Commissioners included the following:

• JAC did not use their own rubric for grant distribution, instead used their own discretion, so some higher ranked applicant organizations were not fairly considered.
• Documentation of grants, reporting mechanisms, mis-filing of information, fund tracking, and payment procedures are concerns.
• Site visits to check on grant funds use needs to be regularly done with a check list and agenda.  Also visits need to check on accuracy and effectiveness of the service provided by the organizations—validation.

Four recommendations were made by the Auditor:    *

• need to update, from 2018, the policies and procedures they use regarding the grants distributed
• ensure funding documentation is collected, stored, and retained appropriately—currently not consistent
• improve tracking of funds distributed
• structure a fraud awareness program

These were accepted by the JAC—to be completed by May, 2024.  JAC will also use the Federal Government ARPA’s (more strict) standards on all grants going forward.

The Audit report of ARPA on the Small Business Grant Program showed adequate controls on the $50 million distributed to 3,000 small businesses in Cook County.  $18 million more will be granted out by 2026.

Building Healthy Communities ARPA grants of about $5 million were also audited.  Because of a change in designation of recipients (from sub-recipients to beneficiaries), these grants were not required to be monitored. Commissioners were concerned that no metrics, risk assessments, or financial monitoring was done. The Public Health (PH) department wanted to get the funds out upfront and quickly as COVID was prevalent at that time.  The grants were intended to increase access to healthy foods, youth development, mental and behavioral health.  PH department was told by Commissioners they should establish base-line monitoring so the county knows where the funds went and what the outcomes of the programs were.

RULES AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE:
    There was a lot of discussion among commissioners and the staff of the Dept. of Human Rights & Ethics (HR & E) regarding the rules for the public to follow on the recently passed Paid Leave ordinance—effective for private businesses since January, 2024.  Concerns by some Commissioners were

• The public local governments that will have to follow this ordinance by January, 2025, have not had time to give their input on these rules. HR & E wants the rules made public now so businesses have knowledge of how to follow the ordinance; changes can be made later. 
• There was concern that the rules were not contained in the ordinance when passed (quickly) last year.  This ordinance goes further than a similar law at the state level, which did contain the rules.
• Questions arose on how specifically to amend these rules at a later date—Counsel explained process.
• Several commissioners noted they had numerous complaints about the ordinance, especially from school and park districts that hire part time employees for only part of the year. 

The vote to accept the public-facing rules (24-1181) was very close:  4 Yes, 4 Present and 1 absent.  PASSED in committee.

ASSET MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE:
    Item 24-1056 regarding a lease in Sauk Village for a new restorative justice court was passed in committee.  Both the Public Defender and a representative from the States Attorney office seem to have smoothed over any concerns by commissioners from 2 weeks ago when those offices sent a letter stating they could not staff a new court this year.  All involved will “continue conversations,” so it seems to this observer that behind the scenes agreements were made that the lease go forward and any problems would be dealt with later.

What to watch for:

• ARPA funding monitoring
• Paid Leave ordinance rules and any amendments to the ordinance

Observer :Karin Hribar

Cook County Board Finance Committee Budget Hearings
October 25, 2023 - 1pm 

​Cook County Clerk - Karen Yarborough
2024 Request Total:    $76,772,474              2023 Approved:    $65,849,554
2024 Total FTEs:    349                                   2023 FTEs:        351    
Key Items from the Meeting:

• Regarding Revenue generation the Clerk’s office is working on digitizing the records from 1871-1974 to provide access to these records to the public through a Scan on Demand program
• With the termination of Shakman oversight in her office Clerk Yarborough said this will now allow her HR department to do their job.
• The office is piloting a project in Palatine Township for online services to place an order for documents from her office.
• When asked about the integration of the Tyler System in her office she said that it still needs to integrate with their cashier system and she estimates the cost at about $400,000. There has been years of delay with this integration and she indicated that $150,000 was spent on an interface with the mainframe prior to the Tyler system.
• Comm. Morita asked about the consolidation of election results between the County and Chicago - wanting to know if the process for consolidation will be expedited by the March election and the Clerk indicated they hoped that would be the case.

Office of the Independent Inspector General - Interim IIG - Steve Cyronoski
2024 Request Total:    $2,456,335                       2023 Approved:    $2,307,093
2024 Total FTEs:    19                                               2023 FTEs:        19

Key Items from Meeting:

• Mr. Cyronoski indicated that the number of cases the office investigates has increased and he thinks this is probably due to an increased knowledge about the office. He also indicated that 85-91% of their recommendations are adopted.
• Comm. Degnan asked if there should be a fresh look at the way the reports from the office are reviewed by the Board. Instead of being referred to the Finance Litigation Sub-committe (they usually meet in Closed Session) perhaps there should be a committee designated just for review of the reports or they should come to the Finance Committee as a whole and be reviewed in public. Comm. Degnan indicated that the public (in particular the LWVCC) wants to know that the reports are read and there is follow-up on the recommendations. Mr. Cyronoski indicated that the report is a public report and does not need to be discussed in private.
• Comm. Anaya asked why there was not 100% compliance with their recommendations. Mr. Cyronoski indicated that there can be disagreement with their recommendations and that would be indicated in their report. The office of the IIG has no authority to require that a department comply with their recommendations.
• The office is budgeted for 19 positions and at present 16 positions are filled. They are looking to fill an investigator position and the Deputy IIG position is being left open until the new IIG position is filled so they will be able to appoint their own deputy. At that time Mr. Cyronoski will resume his role as Legal Counsel in the office.
• Comm. Morita asked about whether the office went beyond their investigative function to do program review. Mr. Cyronoski indicated that the office served a “good government function” and was not really charged with program review.

Assessor - Fritz Kaegi
2024 Request Total:    $35,848,794        2023 Approved:    $35,000,768
2024 Total FTEs:    296                              2023 FTEs:        286
Key points from the meeting:

• The Assessor said that appeals to his office have declined. The office has done 250 Outreach Events and they will continue with outreach and also continue to expand the number of languages used in these efforts. The office is about to finalize their 5 year strategic plan.
• Comm. Aguilar asked about the timeline for next year’s tax bills and the Assessor said he thought that next year the bills would be on a better timeline. 
• Comm. Anaya asked about the mechanism for keeping track of the various tax incentives granted by the board (6A, 6B, Class 8 etc) and also questioned the effectiveness of the incentives. Assessor Kaegi said that the Assessor role is a ministerial role concerning tax incentives. Granting of a tax incentive begins with the municipalities and once approved at that level the Economic Development Advisory Council (EDAC) verifies that all criteria are met, in particular the job creation criteria. Then the tax incentive is approved by the Board of Commissioners. If a property is still vacant after 2 years the incentive can be withdrawn. Comm. Anaya further said that tax incentives are an issue that needs further discussion at a different time.
• Comm. Trevor asked if the decrease in appeals was for residential and commercial properties and the Assessor said the decrease was more on the residential properties. 
• Comm. Moore wanted to know about the timeline and the funding to get the office off of the mainframe. Assessor Kaegi said that about $150,000 has been allocated for consultants to help get the information transferred from the mainframe into their system and that should be done by April and no more funding should be required.
• Comm. Stamps asked for information about lists that were sent to the commissioners with the names of seniors who had not reapplied for their Senior Freeze exemptions. Kaegi said that these individuals had been contacted by their office but many had still not reapplied. They need to apply every year. He also said that his office is having a Train the Trainer program to instruct people in how to help people get the exemptions they are entitled to.
• Comm. Moore requested that the Assessor explain how Appraised Value and Assessed Value are used within the Assessor’s office. Kaegi said the Appraised Value is the Market Value for a property and is used for purposes other than taxation. Once that value is established the Assessed Value in Cook County is determined as 10% of the Appraised Value for residential properties. For commercial properties the Assessed Value is 25% of the Appraised Value. Location and size are the biggest drivers of determining value and his office makes every effort to watch out for bias to keep from over or under valuation.

Chief Judge (CJ) - Tim Evans
2024 Request Total:    $343,259,173                       2023 Approved:    $329,470,661
2024 FTEs:        3,031                                                  2023 FTEs:        3,020.3

Key points from the meeting:

• Chief Judge Evans stated that an analysis of the Restorative Justice Courts has been completed by his office and the report has been sent to the commissioners. The report indicates that the recidivism rate is much lower for persons going through these courts than those going through the regular court system. 
• Chief Judge Evans also reported on the institution of the no cash bail aspect of the Pre-trial Safety Act. He stated that from September 18 to October 14, 3300 cases had been filed and of that number SAs had petitioned for detention in 476 of the cases. Of that number 232 persons were detained pre-trial. Of those released only 3 persons were arrested again. He says that all is going well at this point but it has only been 1 month.
• The CJ reported what he is doing about the SCRAM situation. This involves a test that can be ordered by a judge that will test for alcohol in a person’s system and keep them from driving if their level is too high. This service was contracted to a company and his office wanted to expand the contract and before that could happen the contract expired. The company has continued to provide the service under the old contract when a judge ordered it for a defendant. This service is paid for by the defendant on a sliding scale payment system and not paid for by the county or the tax payer. The CJ has established a working group to write a report that will indicate how many persons are ordered to use this service and how much money the company is collecting for providing the service. A new RFP may also be forthcoming.
• Update on the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC). Equip for Equality gave a report to the CJ with recommendations for changes that are beginning to be instituted. There is no longer a 7pm bedtime. Programs are provided for the detainees in the evenings. Training in de-escalation procedures will begin in early November. There are 322 vacant positions. A Job Fair was held on Oct. 16 and 400 people attended and 386 applications were received. 35 positions have been filled and he is hoping to have all positions filled by the end of the year.
• The pilot program for DV Orders of Protection during non-business hours that began in September of 2022 has indicated that the service should be provided. The pilot provided for services on weekdays from 9pm-3am and on Saturdays from 1-6pm. During the pilot there were 917 petitions for emergency orders and 699 orders were issued by Judges. The CJ would like to expand it to 24/7 if possible, since the pilot program does seem to indicate a need. 
• Comm. Daley asked if anyone has been detained pre-trial without a request from the SA. The CJ stated that there is no constitutional requirement that a SA file a petition - a judge could make that determination on his own. Daley also asked about the continuances and what is being done about those. The CJ stated that there now is a system in place that will track why cases are being continued and the system is easy to use. Daley indicated that there may need to be a meeting to get more clarity about this issue.
• Comm. Degnan asked about enabling recording in court rooms in addition to court reporters. The CJ said he could support working on this. She also asked about the EMIT System that is the technology system that is supposed to connect the Judge’s order, the Clerk of the Court, and the Sheriff. He indicated he is open to working on the process. She also asked about when he will be able to get off the mainframe. He indicated that they are working to get off by June 2024. 

Capital Budget - Tanya Anthony/ Jennifer Killen/ Tom Lynch/ Elizabeth Granato 
2024 Proposed Total:    $539.1M
    $238.6M for Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for County facilities
    $154.3M for Transportation and Highways Program (THP)
    $146.2M for Capital Equipment Program (CEP) for County departments    

PowerPoint presented outlining all these programs.
Key Point from Questions:Comm. Miller asked Tom Lynch, Bureau of Technology, for clarification on cost and time frame for the various technology projects. He stated the following:

• The Property Project - the Integrated property tax system - including the offices of the Assessor, The Board of Review, the Treasurer and the Clerk dates back to 2014 when Tyler was selected as the system for all the tax offices. The Board of Review had contracted 2 years previously with a different system for the case management of appeals that was to be integrated with Tyler. At the present time the Assessor is fully on Tyler. The Treasurer and the Clerk were supposed to be on by the end of the year but it was decided that it was too risky to do this in the middle of a tax cycle so now all offices have agreed that by the 3rd quarter of 2024 they will all be on Tyler.
• Since 2015 $59.8M has been spent on the Property Project - some in the Operating budget, some in GIS budget, and some in the Capital budget. Projecting for 2024 an additional $13M will be needed. Mr. Lynch indicated that the Tyler contract has not increased but the time frame has definitely been extended and thus the ancillary costs have increased by millions part of which has been to maintain the legacy system (the mainframe). 
• The other Project involves the offices of the Clerk of the Court, The Chief Judge and the States Attorney getting off the mainframe. Each of these offices has a time frame to get off the legacy system during 2024 and their budgets reflect the costs involved. He thinks that all are funded adequately to make this happen and all have agreed to the timeline. He also stated that the Justice Integration Project will be presented at the Technology Committee Meeting of the Board in November 2023.

The meeting was recessed at 7:15pm. Very few commissioners still remained in the room.  

Observer: Cynthia Schilsky

Committee Meetings for Cook County Board of Commissioners
October 18, 2023

Finance Committee:

• There was a presentation and some discussion on the additional $13.5 million to an original contract amount of $14.2 million to Guidehouse, Inc.  This company was hired to help the County navigate ARPA and FEMA funds to make sure they were used in compliance with Federal Govt. requirements and that the programs were set up correctly.  There have been 72 programs set up. 
• There are additional costs due to FEMA deadlines extensions, technology projects, hiring problems, additional support for departments.  The discussion centered on bids that might have a better hourly rate; and what the HR plan is to transition the programs to Cook County people.  33 programs have already been transitioned to Cook County employees. 
• There will be a need to bring on more employees especially for grant writing and management.  Positions are difficult to fill.  Also noted is that the Auditor is working with Guidehouse.

Litigation Subcommittee of Finance Committee:

• The 2nd quarter IG report was received and filed with no discussion

​Transportation Committee:

• Received and filed the Plan of Action for regional Transit done by CMAP.  This was initiated by the General Assembly but covers PACE, METRA, CTA.  All of these agencies will be short on funds soon. 
• The recommendation in this report is that $1.5 billion be spent annually for public transit.  New sources of revenue will be needed.  The current services are “efficient” but not serving the needs of the region. 
• Also recommended is Governance reform regarding the 3 Boards and all their administrations.  Would like to empower a regional Board to oversee all. 
• This report goes to the General Assembly and Cook County.

Observer - Karin Hribar

Cook County Board Finance Committee – Mid-Year  Budget Hearings
July 25, 2023 - Afternoon Meetings

Inspector General – Steven Cyranoski, Interim IG.  
$2.3 million Preliminary 2024 budget

• At midterm, 15% below 2023 budget.  Year-end projection:  Under Budget
• Budgeted for 19 FTE’s.  Currently: 3 vacancies [IG, Deputy IG, Investigator]
• No commissioner questions

Public Administrator – Louis Apostal.   $1.7 million self-funded 2024

• 738 investigations to find rightful inheritance ownership
• 70 properties under management
• 15 full-time staff – unionized office.  5 outside attorneys
• 2024 budget will increase by $137,000 – primarily increased compensation costs

Cook County Clerk – Karen Yarborough.   $20.6 million Preliminary 2024 budget

• Chief Election Officer and responsible for maintaining and providing vital records
• No longer under Shakman and received several compliments for achievement
• Increased vacancies of between 25-30 due to retirement and termination
• Elections:  Additional language ballots will be offered along with information sheets in that language.
• Commissioner Aquilar asked why a pension deduction was taken out of Election Judges checks. Ans:  there is a glitch in the system which is being addressed.  
• Availability of Election Judges was a question:  Ans:  The shortfall has been filled by veterans, community college students that can earn a credit for taking a course on being an election judge, civics, and cyber security.
• Question:  Security of elections and voting by mail.  Ans:  Election ballot drop boxes are located at early voting sites and are monitored.

Board of Review [BOR] – Cardenas, Steele, Rogers.  
$18 million Preliminary 2024 budget

• Currently, analysts are working 20 hours mandatory overtime to get appeals processed and sent to the next office for mailing out the 2022 tax bills which are already late.
• The BOR asked for money to bring each of the 3 Districts to 50 analysts.  Currently a total of 105 analysts.  Daley asked if granted, could the Board guarantee that the tax bills will go out on time.  Ans:  No as there are too many other offices involved in the process.  Said it is anticipating 400,000 appeals in 2024.  The previous analyst ratio was 1-1200 appeals.  Now 1-1600 appeals.
• Steele, who has 17 years in the Assessment Industry including the CC Assessor’s office, noted that the Assessor looks at properties in comparable groups while the BOR reviews each property individually.  
• Steele published a BOR report for 2022 and is in the process of working on a Standards Manual.
• February’s request for a cost comparison between switching to or fully integrating with the Tyler system should be ready in late August.  Cardenas noted that the BOR has just two IT employees.
• Cardenas said that transparency is at the front of the BOR’s mission, and that it has already reduced the appeal time by 6 weeks.  He also said the website has been improved as have FOIA responses

Land Bank – Jessica Caffrey, Executive Director.  Primarily self-funded
Ms. Caffrey is relatively new to the Land Bank having worked for the County in previous roles including coordinating the development of the Old Stroger Hospital and the building of the Cook County Health’s Administrative Building on Polk.

• The Land Bank’s goal is to “create the market” by acquiring 4-5 houses per block in a blighted area which can change the entire block and market
• It acquires vacant, available property through tax sales and other means
• 96% of all its properties are resold to homeowners
• $9.8 million in real estate value has been created in Inglewood
• Created $2.5 million in revenues as of May 1, 2023
• Reduced aged inventory which is property that is on the books over two years
• Staff:  13 positions including 3 vacancies.

​Observer:  Diane Edmundson