Cook County Board Finance Committee Mid-year Budget Hearings
​July 21, 2021
Presentations by the Clerk of the Court, the Chief Judge, Independent Inspector General and Cook County Sheriff

​Commissioner Daley has asked all Elected officials presenting their mid-year budget information to also state what their office/department has learned from the COVID experience over the last year.

Clerk of the Court -  Iris Martinez

• Martinez’ main goal is to do a “comprehensive review of the whole operation” and make changes necessary for more efficiency and transparency.  She wants to “re-establish trust in the office.” 
• Two areas of concern are to complete the transition to the Odyssey Case Management System and to comply with any Shakman hiring issues.  By the end of October, 2021, the case management system transition should be completed and should be certified by the Illinois Supreme Court by January, 2022.  This will provide better access by the public and attorneys.  Hiring will be more transparent in accordance with any Shakman requirements.  Currently 218 more staff (mostly clerks) will be hired in two large groups.  The office will still be understaffed according to the Chief of Staff.
• Some general improvements to come are website improvement, easier access for Domestic Violence victims to get court orders, call center improvements including the calling of defendants to remind them of court dates.
• “Goals” include more e-filings by attorneys (2,200,000) and an increase in the number of cases filed (495,000).  Revenue is 10% higher than expected and expenditures are almost 9% lower than expected.  Much of this has to do with COVID shutdowns of courts and also more efficiency in operations.  Cost savings is a priority for Clerk of the Court Martinez.  More can be done using technology rather than in-person—learned from last year’s experience.

Chief Judge - Tim Evans
Some details from the Chief Judge regarding the current budget year:

• there is a 2% reduction ($5 million) in this year’s budget mostly due to COVID closures— under budget for hiring and contracts
• no jury trials have been held during COVID except for emergencies
• currently there are 76 courtrooms set up for jury trials and 10 for bench trials.  3 ft. social distancing will occur for jury trials  (should start in October)
• the AOIC (Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts) is giving $61 million to the courts—from COVID money at the federal level
• unusual expenses were for Zoom licenses (400) used for hearings
• during the past year, 128,00 “matters” were settled even though courtrooms were basically closed.  This includes 13,000 guilty pleas and bench trials.

Lessons learned from COVID experience:

• in-person court appearances are not needed for discovery,  some hearings; but in-person is required for any situations where “freedom is in jeopardy”

Commissioner Comments:

• Comm. Daley asked about the speedy trial requirement return and how many defendants are waiting. Also the number of defendants on EM or bail that have recommitted serious offenses. This was unclearly explained by Evans, however the gist was that there is “no proof” that the released do more crime.  He indicated that all the information is on his website dashboard.  This is cookcountycourt.org.  Later on it was mentioned that Preckwinkle’s office has a group interviewing Evans, Sheriff Dart, and others to evaluate the EM program.  A report should be released soon.
• Comm. Aguilar contradicted Evans “data” on crimes committed by released defendants and said his community was worried about crime.  Evans replied that all are presumed innocent until convicted.  Aguilar also stated that child support is not being enforced.
• Comm. Johnson was concerned about “isolation” use as a punishment for misbehavior at the JTDC (Juvenile Temporary Detention Center).
• ​Comm. Lowry asked whether the elimination of cash bail will increase court budget/costs.  No clear answer from Evans.
• Comm. Degnan advocated for virtual meetings for domestic violence situations.  This reduces trauma, time, etc. for women asking for court orders.
• Comm. Miller asked about restorative justice courts in the south suburbs.  These will be added soon.  She also asked for data on Veterans and other specialty courts and indicated that many veterans don't know about these specialty courts.
• Comm. S. Morrison questioned the $7 million increase in the budget.  Evans indicated this was needed for Zoom room personnel and other jury services. Evans office currently has 2,550 FTEs and 599 vacancies.  Evans desires a hybrid system using Zoom and in-person in the future. 
• Also asked was what the process is for deciding who gets out on bail, no-bail, or EM (Electronic Monitoring).  Evans said “mitigating circumstances”—presumption of innocence, proof not evident, no clear and present threat, no lengthy criminal record, self-defense, vulnerable to COVID are all reasons someone could be released even though they are accused of a violent or gun crime.  Stated that 1,287 defendants are in jail for murder and less than 100 murder defendants are out on EM.
• The issue of mental illness was brought up with regard to so many defendants needing mental health services.  Morrison advocated that this issue be addressed by the State of Illinois.

Independent Inspector General - Patrick Blanchard

• The office has filled 5 open slots (including promoting 1) and has just 1 unfilled position of the Deputy Inspector General
• Comm. Anaya asked whether the result is improved turn-around time for cases.  IG Blanchard said “yes.”  He reminded the Commissioners that his office has a triage system for determining which potential cases are the most important and which ones have sufficient evidence to warrant going forward.  Last year there were 800 contacts made to his office, and the office also can and does open cases on its own.
• The IG was asked about appeals from the cases included in his quarterly reports.  The IG explained that the office only has the authority to make recommendations to an official or department.  So if someone disagrees with the implementation of the recommendations of the IG, the person needs to contact the applicable department or official.

The Office of the Cook County Sheriff - Deputy Sheriff

• The office began with a presentation on the past and current status of COVID cases within the County Jail, which the office believes has been wrongly depicted as a “hot spot.”  In the Spring of 2020, there were 307 cases, which was 6.9% of the total Jail population, compared to much higher percentages in the general population.  Similarly, the highest number of cases was on December 13, 2020, with 375 inmates testing positive, or 6.8% of the Jail population.  As of July 21, 2021, the 7-day average was only 0.2%, or only 2 positive cases. And these two inmates entered the Jail with COVID.
• Currently, 55% of the Sheriff’s employees are vaccinated, despite many efforts to incentivize the staff to get vaccinated. 61% of the eligible detainees are vaccinated currently.  There is frequent testing of the non-vaccinated.
• The office expects to remain within the 2021 budget, thanks to the funds that came from the Federal government last year and this year.
• 752 detainees have been convicted and should be in the State prison system.  Of these, 394 are eligible for parole hearings, and the Sheriff wants those to take place.  Comm. Daley asked about the dollar amount owed by the State to the County for housing these inmates that have been convicted.  The Sheriff’s Deputy said that the State wants to establish a rate of $50 to $70 per day, but the Sheriff says it has to meet with the County’s Budget Dept. to establish the appropriate rate.
• The Sheriff’s employees are exhausted from the past year and a half.  It has been difficult to keep up with attrition through new hires.  The Deputy Sheriff emphasized the large number of positions that have been reduced over the years and more positions are needed, including more monitors for those released on electronic monitoring.  The office is working with the University of Chicago to identify ways to better manage the electronic monitoring.
• Comm. Britton said he would like to expand training within the Jail so people can connect to jobs upon release.  The Commissioner identified a large impediment to that is the issue of transportation from Chicago to the suburbs where some of these jobs are, particularly in the food industry.
• Comm. Johnson asked about whether there are metrics for evaluating policing efforts, particularly the Sheriff’s partnering with Chicago on drug trafficking.  The Deputy explained that the Sheriff had an internal research office that does such evaluations and there are weekly reports.
• Comm. Silvestri asked about what long-term costs might be expected.  The Deputy Sheriff explained that being able to open shuttered Jail buildings was critical for providing separate spaces for prisoners during this pandemic.  The office was very complimentary of the Asset Management Bureau for quickly repairing and bringing these shuttered buildings up to code so they could be used.  The Office said that having that capability to reopen buildings could be a continuing need.
• Comm. Anaya asked whether there is any evaluation of the effectiveness of electronic monitoring.  The answer was that Urban Labs is finishing up just such an evaluation, which report should be ready shortly.
• Comm. Anaya and Moore brought up the mental health facility in Roseland that was established in 2017 as an alternative to incarceration in the Jail.  Comm. Moore urged that the County look to establish similar programs in Chicago.

Observers  - Karin Hribar and  Priscilla Mims

Cook County Board of Commissioners - November 19, 2020 
Virtual Meeting 10am-1pm

Public Speakers - Statements read by the Secretary of the Board

• A statement from the League of Women Voters of Cook County (LWVCC) concerning the 2020 3rd Quarter Report from the Office of the Independent Inspector General was read. The item referenced was sent to the Litigation Subcommittee for the December 15 meeting when the Inspector General’s report will be reviewed. (see below)
• There were a number of statements read concerning replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People Day to be celebrated on the second Tuesday of October.  

Items of Interest:

• Resolution concerning the Annual Calendar of Regular Board Meetings and consent Calendar meetings for calendar year 2021 was approved. There will be 11 Board meetings with no meeting in August. (Agenda Item 20-5487)
• Cook County Justice Advisory Council Annual Report of the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Advisory Board was sent to Criminal Justice Committee. (Agenda Item 20-5424)
• Proposed Resolution calling for a Hearing of The Criminal Justice Committee to examine length of stay of detainees for the Cook County Department of Corrections and its effect on Jail populations. This has the support of the Chief Judge, Sheriff, State’s Attorney, Clerk of the Court, Public Defender, and Director of Cermak Health services.  All of the Commissioners were happy to hear this would occur. Commissioner Aquilar voiced concern as his District (16th) has experienced an increase of crime. This item was referred to the Criminal Justice Committee where they will set the date for this Hearing. (Agenda Item 20-5479). 
• Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) quarterly Report 4Q 2020 was referred to the Health and Hospital Committee.
• Office of the Independent Inspector General Quarterly Report for the 3rd quarter was referred to the Litigation Subcommittee. A letter from the LWVCC was read during Public Comment. This letter urged the Board to take appropriate steps to ensure that the Board of Review both address and adopt each of the recommendation of the OIIG, as detailed in both the 2nd Quarter and the 3rd Quarter Reports. (Agenda Item 20-5462). 
• New item was proposed by Commissioner Anaya. This is a proposed Resolution requesting presentations from the Cook County Treasurer and the Cook County Assessor to discuss the impact of increased property taxes on constituents. The Treasurer and Assessor will be invited to present to the Finance Committee the following: Treasurer is asked to present on the major findings of her office’s report, specifically on the areas within Suburban Cook County and the City of Chicago that have seen the greatest differences between an increase in property taxes and an increase in wages and cost of living.   The Cook County Assessor will present on the accuracy of assessments in Cook County and how property tax bills that Cook County taxpayers pay have been impacted. This item was referred to the Finance Committee.  (Agenda Item 20-5667)

Committee Items requiring Board Actions:

• During the report from the Technology Committee, Commissioners emphasized the need for full cooperation especially from the Chief Judge and Sheriff’s office with the Bureau of Technology.

Items for Follow-up

• Inspector General’s 3rd Quarter Report to be reviewed at the December 15 Litigation subcommittee
• Hearing of the Criminal Justice Committee date TBD, to examine length of stay of detainees for Cook County Department of Corrections and its effect on jail population. 
• New item proposed by Commissioner Anaya, a resolution requesting presentations from Cook County Treasurer and Cook County Assessor. 

​Commissioners and President Toni Preckwinkle honored former Commissioner and current Recorder of Deeds, Ed Moody who is retiring in December. 

Observer: Nancy Marcus

Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting -  Sept. 24, 2020​

Key Items Addressed by the Board:                      

• 20-4302  Extending Disaster Proclamation through Dec. 31, 2020. Motion made by Com. Daley and seconded by Com Suffredin.  Com Daley stated Pres. Preckwinkle has continued to hold conference calls with department heads and staff to answer questions of commissioners and provide requested information.  Com Suffredin affirmed the prudence of the extension in light of continuing need to access resources to address the recession and Covid19; he stated no abuse of power has occurred.  Com Britton stated it is necessary for county to be “nimble” in its responses. Com. Morrisson questioned why technology could not allow us to operate without this extension. Another concern was that not enough meetings were held to address Covid19.  Commissioners are receiving monthly statements from the Budget Director. Passed.  Aye-13  No-3. Present-1

Moved by Com. Suffredin, seconded by Com Britton, and approved to take up out of order the recommendations of Legislative and Intergovernmental Regulations Committee the 3 items below. Then moved by Suffredin and Britton to concur with the recommendations of that committee.

• 20-3428 Appoint Raul Garza as Director to Cook County Health Board for a 4 yr term.  Approved
• 20-3433 Appoint Robert Currie as Director to Cook County Health Board for a 4 yr term. Approved.
• 20-0016  Approve as Substitute Proposed Amendment to Office of Inspector General.  This included a new provision requested by the LWVCC to have quarterly reports from the IG Office submitted as Board agenda to receive and file or refer to Litigation Subcommittee. It also includes clarification on minimum qualifications for the IG position and allows the president with approval from the Board to reappoint the existing IG for a 2 yr term. It adds a requirement that before the IG would issue a written public statement regarding an investigation that found inefficient or wasteful management, the IG must first submit this to the affected department and allow the department to provide a written comment within 10 days to be issued (and any response by the IG) with the written public statement. Passed.
  

• 20-4289 Re-appointment of Patrick Blanchard for 2-yr term as Inspector General. Moved by Com Suffredin and second by Com. Britton.  Commissioners expressed support of past work of IG Blanchard.  Passed.
  
• 20-4259 Proposed Cook County Health (CCH) Preliminary Budget FY2021. Move to approve by Com. Deere and seconded by Com. Arroyo. One question was whether this was supposed to go first to committee.  It was explained that the purpose of the document is to see the hospital budget for substantive issues, format. The budget can be discussed after it has been received by the President’s office. The CCH budget becomes part of the Cook County budget to be defended by CCH later in the budget process. Debra Carrie, Interim CEO, spoke to a question of the dollar value of the budget.  She stated the tax allocation for 2021 would increase $40 million over 2020 allocation, making it $123 million for FY2021. Approved.

Other item of note:

• Clarification was made regarding roll call votes and voice votes in virtual meetings.  Per the Open Meetings Act, all actions require roll call votes.  Motions for referral of items can be voice votes since the actual action takes place in committees.

Observer:  Carolyn Cosentino                                        Length of Meeting 3 hr 32 min

Cook County Board Of Commissioners’ Finance Committee
       Midyear Budget Hearings - July 21, 2020

Cook County Health - Debra Cary
Revenues as of May 31, 2020: General information from report available on Legistar 

• Medicaid Expansion up 21% from $798 million budgeted to $965 million actual            
• Patient Fee Revenue down 21% from $332 budgeted to $262 actual

Expenses: 

• $1,665 billion actual versus $1,303 billion budget = 28% higher 

Holdback Target:  Reported as N/A 

Highlights of Presentation and Discussion::

• As of 7-21, $154 million Cares Act monies have been received plus another $40 million for COVID-19 contact tracing.
• 70 positions were eliminated and another 200 agency positions identified to bring in house as a cost savings.
• Charity and unpaid care continues at 42% to date but expected to rise.
• Commission Daley stressed that the System has to reverse the large percentage of County Care MCO patients using other providers.
• System is expanding use of Telehealth but it is not considered to be an expense saver.
• Stand alone, ambulatory dialysis services at Provident to open in late 2020.
• Patient numbers are slowly rising at the hospitals and community centers as accommodations are made for social distancing.
• Cary said System needs to be prepared for COVID-19 resurgence and continued extra services at the Jail.
• Artificial intelligence being used to reduce claims rejection by ensuring pre-approval is received.  This new approach is operational for radiology and underway for oncology.  Next 2-3 months will provide more information on success.
• It is expected that the County will use tax dollars in the amount of $82 million to help offset Jail and Public Health Expenses and will pick up another $30 million In pension costs.
• Commission Sean Morrison asked for value of denials and billing errors for years 2018-19.  Also wants capital funding expectations from Cook County CFO.
• Projecting a $187 million deficit for 2021 due to personnel, overtime, and pharmacy costs.
• The new Medicare enrollment plan, More Care, is expected to help increase Medicare revenues by $7.4 million.
• Provident Hospital rebuild on hold until new CEO in place.
• CCH Board President expects CEO search to produce 1-2 finalists in the next few weeks.

Independent Inspector General -– Patrick Blanchard
Revenues – N/A
Expenses - $1,043 million YTD budgeted vs $882,545 actual.  Down 15.3%
Holdback Target:   $120,824.  met.
FY 2021 Budget Target:    $1,726,849

Information of Interest

• Did not hire 2 investigators as part of his hold back target and another new hire will start in August.
• Provides services to Cook County, Forest Preserve, and the MWRD.  Exceptions: States Attorney, Chief Justice, and Clerk of the Court
• Used Micro-Soft Teams to good advantage and will incorporate in future operations.  May save on space.
• Noted that since its inception the IG office has consistently had its staff reduced from a high of 20 to the current number of 14 including 2 MWRD investigators.  Blanchard is now doing the complaint triage work previously handled by his deputy who left and has not been replaced.
• Complaints are up about 25% from 2019.  Projecting 800 for 2020 [includes MWRD].
• With the projected cuts in the 2021 budget, Blanchard does not expect his office can be prepared to provide the coverage needed.
• Produces 60 OIG summary reports a year and receives 350 inquires/complaints.
• The OIG has one full-time harassment investigator who is busy but not “crushed” with work.

Public Administrator -– Louis Apostol
Revenues – Up $539,328 or 82.9%.  YTD Budget $650,000 vs YTD Actual $1,189,328
Expenses -  Down $7,129 or 1.07%.  YTD Budget $666,922 vs YTD Actual $658,922
Holdback -   No.
Fiscal 2021 Budget Target:   $1,259,749.    2020 Budget is $1,344,605

Information of Interest

• In explanation of the holdback:  “The office will have generated over $2,865,112 in fees, interest, court costs, and funds for unknown heirs.  Our 2020 budget is $1,344,605.  At the close of Q3 2020, the fees alone will have generated $1,169,933 to the county treasurer.  This office estimates a year-end total of $1,827,331 in revenue which represents $527,331 over the expense amount appropriated for FY 2020.”
• The office assists the public in administering probate estates when a CC resident passes away without family to manage the liquidation and distribution of his/her assets.  It also aids the public and the Medical Examiner’s Office in location of family for unclaimed remains and homes that would otherwise be abandoned.
• The office has a staff of 15 plus the Public Administrator who is a 1099 employee.

Secretary to the Board of Commissioners - Matthew DeLeon       
Revenues:  N/A
Expenses:  Down $90,636 or 10%.   YTD Budget is $932,617 vs YTD Actual of $84,981
Holdback:   $112,707.  Met.
Fiscal 2021 Budget Target:  $1,745,747

Information of Interest​

• A new Manager of Archives has been hired, and the Secretary intends to bring an Ordinance governing the archives in the fall.
• January 2021 is the 190th Birthday of the County for which the board has instituted a flag design contest for the students of the county.  The contest deadline has been extended to September 2020, and the semi-finalists will be picked in October.  The presentation of the flag is projected for spring/summer 2021.
• The Secretary stated that the Board is not likely to be coming back to the conference room any time soon.
• Sims reminded the Board and the Secretary that the current board room needs to be made ADA accessible.  
• Secretary hopes to significantly expand the conference room in addition to making it ADA accessible when resources are available.

Cook County Sheriff - Tom Dart
Revenue: $6,797,999
Expenses:$284,937,121
Holdback:$25,413,144
Target Holdback;$38,884,424

Sheriff Dart appeared early and ran late at the Midyear Budget Hearings. Some Commissioners called it “extra innings” and other baseball analogies. But the Sheriff had much to say and the Commissioners had many questions. His session ran approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes. Although there was some repetition, the Sheriff and the Commissioners are very concerned as his department might be facing $90 million in cuts from his current $600 million budget.

Some Highlights from the Sheriff’s Remarks:

•  The Sheriff began his remarks by stating he was perfectly “on budget’ until March when Covid hit.
• In March, due to Covid, he had to hire new people  (he said about 200) to open up , clean and staff long closed divisions in order to spread out the population. He also tests each detainee upon entry and quarantines them for 2 weeks. All of this has increased his need for personnel costs, including overtime.
• He also has 1000 more people on Electronic Monitoring (EM) as judges are trying to not put more people in the jail.  His jail population is about 4900, and his EM population is about 3300, both are up from
• He also has about 500 Illinois Dept. of Corrections’ inmates who have been sentenced, but are not being placed in prisons, due to Covid. On the positive side he has freed up some sheriff’s deputies who have not been serving evictions. But as the courts reopen, these deputies may go back to those duties.
• The Sheriff also talked at length about the other duties he has taken on recently. He named 3 South Suburbs that his police have been working with in a supplemental capacity (Dolton, Harvey, and Riverdale). He has also been supplementing the CPD on the West and South sides of Chicago during the protests.
• In addition he runs many mental health programs, mentoring programs for youth, job training programs, and opioid addiction treatment programs both in and out of the jail. He has trained his officers in crisis intervention and in the use of naloxone treatments, he said. For these reasons he will be having trouble cutting his budget.

Some Highlights from the Commissioners’ Questions and Comments:

• Many Commissioners congratulated him and asked detailed questions about testing, distancing and tracing. He said that as of July 20 he had only 16 cases that were positive, 10 of which came in that way. All detainees are tested upon entry and isolated for 2 weeks, no matter what the test results may be.
• Commissioner Suffredin asked for a list of all of the programs that sheriff’s deputies are involved with and the costs of each. The Sheriff said he would get that information.
• Commissioner Anaya asked about how the Sheriff planned to cut $90 million from his budget. He mentioned 3 ways: 

1. He hoped to cut staff through attrition. But he warned the board not to be too generous in the next          union contract talks since he is not part of those negotiations.
2. Branch courts could be closed (like Bridgeview and Rolling Meadows). He would then need to staff less officers in the court houses.
3. He could cut all transportation from the jail to the outlying courts for simple hearings that take 1 or 2 minutes. These could be done remotely. He would save the transportation costs for trials, plea bargaining, sentencing, etc.

• Commissioner Johnson asked about administrative costs. The Sheriff said a full review took place a few years ago in order to cut these. It was unclear if more could be cut. The Commissioner also asked for a list of school related programs that the deputies are involved with and their costs, such as those at Proviso and Richards high schools.

Observers - Diane Edmundson and Jan Goldberg 

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)

Cook County Board of Commissioners - Finance Committee
Departmental Budget Hearing
October 30, 2019: 

Commissioners Absent: Deer, Gainer, Tobolski, Sean Morrison 

Clerk of the Circuit Court:  Dorothy Brown

• Clerk’s office is still working on transfer of court case system to digital with Tyler Technology.  Veterans Day 3 day weekend will go live with Crimiinal Courts, MLK weekend 2020 will be Civil Courts, and Kasamir Pulaski weekend will be Traffic Courts.  Electronic Court Order System will occur in Spring of 2020.
• Shakman update includes the Clerk’s filing of an interim employment plan in July with an exempt employee list filed.  All 1400 employees have been trained on Shakman.  They are in the process of training management on how to interview based on the interim plan.  Their remaining job is to agree on the final employment plan and hire a Director of Compliance.  
• Clerk’s budget request is $8 million more than the President’s budget at $100 million.  Most of the increase is due to the need to hire more court recorders since they are an aging workforce and have an absentee rate of 20% every day!  They can only promote from within and need to hire more people to fill the lower positions. Much of this absenteeism is due to leaves of absence.  She also needs more floaters for Cannabis Expungement paperwork, since the Public Defender plans to expunge 150,000 cases in 2020. They must inform police departments and individuals by mail.  Contractual services will cost $359,000 more mostly for postage.  New case filings have slightly increased and the number of e-filings has increased from 750,000 in 2018  to 2.7 million this year since it is now mandatory,
• The clerk is trying to get all Cook County police departments to become E-sophisticated and issue electronic traffic tickets, although there is resistance due to the need for printers in police cars. There are 28 departments doing e-tickets with 16, including Chicago, yet to switch to electronic. The Clerk’s office has invested nearly 37,000 hours of training on electronic systems.  
• Com. Britton, an attorney, complained that e-filing at his office experienced 3 outages in 6 weeks.  The Clerk explained that as they migrate to the cloud (called Odyssey) there are still glitches in the bridge programming with Tyler Technologies.  Com. Anaya asked  the Clerk to keep them abreast of Shakman developments.  Com. Miller asked about negative balances in the Special Purpose Funds and Tanya Anthony explained the County is working at eliminating all these funds in each department’s budget.  Com. Degnen asked very detailed questions about why Expungement help had to be full time, not temporary, how going electronic was supposed to eliminate headcount, not expand it, and why are there more cashiers, not fewer, since the County is increasingly going to electronic filing and payment with credit cards.  The Clerk responded that the process was so complex in going digital that they have been trying to reduce people but for so many reasons, have been unable to.  
• Electronic kiosks will be available in all courtroom areas to help people find cases and courtroom numbers.  Information will be available in Spanish, Polish, and English.

Recorder of Deeds:   Ed Moody

• Recorder Moody believes that the office will soon have Shakman compliance.  Employees have been trained, they have job descriptions, and they have annual performance reviews.  There is an Employment manual in place.  His new Director of HR was head of the County’s Compliance office previously, so has much needed experience.
• He believes the Recorder of Deeds office is fully ready to be merged with the County Clerk’s area within 2 months.  He is ready for “lights off” in December of 2020.
• ​The Recorder’s office has increased revenue and reduced costs, with 108 FTEs in 2019 versus 120 in 2018.  He is requesting a budget 3% lower than 2019 and will  bring $1 million back to the county this year.  He believes he is on track to bring his actuals in at 15% below 2019 budget.
• Outside expenses incurred for Professional Services are for converting the old Deed books from 1871-1959 to digital format (scanning) and moving microfilm deeds from 1959-1971, likewise to digital.  These were emergency expenditures but 2020 needs will go through RFP process.
• Coms. Anaya, Britton, Miller, and Degnen complemented Recorder Moody on a good job.

County Clerk:  Karen Yarborough

• Now voter signatures for filing petitions can be viewed on-line at various offices rather than having to come downtown to check.  Birth certificates can be obtained on-line. The new voting machines have been universally praised by everyone who has tested them.  They come in an easy-to-handle carrier.
• Com. Anaya asked why the $1.5 million increase in special purpose fund, to which the response was, the election in 2020.  Com. Degnen told the Clerk that her office was there to help in whatever way she could to make the merger with the Recorder go smoothly.  Coms. Britton and Kevin Morrison thanked the Clerk for helping to get passed the Voter Participation Ordinance in time for the November 2020 election.  There will be 7 early voting sites in jails next year.
• Deputy Clerk of Elections, Ed Mikalowski said that due to a much better relationship with Chicago Board of Elections, voting records and communication will be much easier.  He praised the LWV Cook County for helping to bring certain awareness and insight to the choice of voting machines. 

Office of Inspector General:  Patrick Blanchard

• This office has 16 employees, with 2 at Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) and 1 at Stroger.  It handled 551 complaints in 2018 vs. 554 complaints so far in 2019.   A 9% increase in salaries for 3 positions with a long standing salary disparity are included in this budget. MWRD services are billed on an hourly basis. They have done outreach and 70 trainings on filing internal complaints for MWRD employees (4 times more headcount than the Forest Preserve District).  Quarterly reports of billing and complaints can be found online on the MWRD site and Cook County.  This office also looks at employment plans on behalf of the Shakman rules to make sure departments are within compliance.

Observer - Amy Little