Category: Pensions

Cook County Board Approves New Chief Financial Officer and New Chief Administrative Officer

1/31/2023

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Cook County Board Meeting
January 26, 2023

The Board approved:

President Preckwinkle’s appointment of Tanya Anthony as the County’s Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Anthony has been serving as the County’s Chief Administrative Officer and head of the Bureau of Administration. (23-0442)
The appointment of Zara Ali to replace Ms. Anthony as Chief Administrative Officer. Ms. Ali was previously serving as the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer. (23-0556)
The appointments of Mia Webster Cross and Tanya R. Sorrell to the Cook County Health Board. (23-0586 and 23-0595)
The County’s levy of property taxes in 2023. (Note: the Observer Report for the December 15 Board meeting mistakenly stated that this levy was approved then. It was actually referred to the Finance Committee, which then recommended Board approval at this meeting.) Commissioner Daley stressed that the County’s base property tax levy has been in place since 1994! (Item 23-0392)
The Justice Advisory Council’s acceptance of a grant of ARPA funds from the State of Illinois and use of that grant to enter into agreements with 39 entities for gun violence prevention programs: $5 Million to be received and used from Feb. 1 thru June 30 (the State’s fiscal year); and $25 Million from July 1, 2023 thru June 30, 2024. (Items 23-1174 and 23-0767)
The Public Health Department using up to $1 Million of the County’s ARPA funds to implement a Suburban Cook County Worker Protection Program that will provide information to workers to help prevent the spread of diseases, such as Covid. (Item 23-0937)
Authorizing the Chief of the Bureau of Economic Development to enter into a 3-year agreement with the Chicagoland Workforce Funders Alliance to establish a program called “Grow the Talent Solution Ecosystem.” The purpose is to provide employers with channels to meet their talent needs and to provide a directory of career pathway opportunities to employees and job seekers. $300,000 will be used from this year’s budget, and the Bureau will seek to use $300,000 in the 2024 budget and $125,000 in the 2025 budget. (Item 2023-0937)
A 5th amendment to an intergovernmental agreement with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District for the Sheriff to continue to implement a prescription drug take-back program. (23-0786)

The Board referred:

An update on the County’s Guaranteed Income Pilot Program to the Finance Committee. (23-0546)
The 2022 Annual Ethics Report to the Legislation& Intergovernmental Relations Committee. (23-0709)
Commissioner Degnen’s resolution to the Technology Committee that requires a cost comparison by the Board of Review and Bureau of Technology regarding having an interface between two systems vs. moving the Board of Review to the County’s Property Tax System. (23-1174).
Commissioner Gainer’s resolution to the Pensions Committee to discuss the financial implications of possible future pension legislation. (23-1178)

Public Comments included:

Several urging that the County replace the Columbus Day holiday with an Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Many of these same comments were given at the Legislation Committee meeting on Wednesday.
Audra Wilson, Chair of the Cook County Women’s Commission, highlighting the report for 2022 on the “Continued Support of Survivors of Gender-Based Violence” that was received and filed as recommended by the Legislation Committee. (Item 23-0563)
A Chicago resident who complained of the increase in rats near the area of the construction of the Obama Presidential Center. Commissioner Lowrey during the meeting reached out to people at the Center and he reported that they had assured him that steps were being taken to mitigate the increase in the rat population in the area.

Observer: Priscilla Mims

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Cook County Board - Criminal Justice Committee and Pension Committee

10/2/2022

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Cook County Board - Criminal Justice Committee Meeting
September 21, 2022

Big controversy over Cook County Court use of SCRAM devices
Lots of contradictory points were made by justice groups, public defender office, and some Commissioners vs. the Chief Judge’s Office regarding the Court use of SCRAM ankle bracelets for DUI and other alcohol-related defendants. These devices measure perspiration to determine if the offender has consumed alcohol. The wearer is to avoid all alcohol consumption.
Points made by Jim Anderson, CFO of Chief Judge Office:

the office is pleased with the results. Rarely is their a failure to comply by defendants/offenders
judges are the ones to order this device as a deterrent from incarceration
considered a diversion program and is combined with treatment programs
court and other penalty fees are waived if using SCRAM device and avoiding alcohol
all contracts with SCRAM are in compliance with state law and county ordinances
demographics of defendants on SCRam - currently 123 defendants on SCRAM - out of over 6,000 arrested for alcohol related crimes in 2020, about 120 were on SCRAM - 46% White, 18% Black, 29% Hispanic (historical data) - SCRAM used more often in wealthier areas of Cook County

Three circumstances where SCRAM is used in the courts (judges trying to fix the problem)
   1. condition of probation
   2. in bond court as a condition of release
   3. plea deal to avoid the charge of DUI being on the defendant’s record

Points made by justice groups and some commissioners:

cost of the device is charged to the offender—may be prohibitive expense for some—county should pay
concern with how the contract for this device is awarded and that these companies make a profit
may restrict offenders in their jobs, and may need to travel in county to have device checked
if offender can’t pay the company seeks payment through a collection agency
”unfair” to the poor, minorities

This item 22-4709 (resolution to have a hearing on SCRAM devices) passed unanimously out of committee to go on to entire Board.

Cook County Board - Pension Committee
September 21, 2022

A steady depletion of assets in Retirement Funds for CC and FPD despite a great investment year (2021)

Both the Cook County government and the Forest Preserve District had good returns on investment (17.15% for Cook County) last year—mostly private equity and private real estate
Cook County has been paying in more than required each year since 2016
However, there will be an eventual depletion of assets because the program cannot generate enough investment income to keep paying the growing numbers of retirees (small gap now)
for the FPD, assets will be depleted by 2044 and this will become “pay as you go” system unless changes are made to laws (large gap now)
in the County, there are more retirees getting benefits than employees paying into the system
Currently there is $14.2 billion in the Cook County pension fund and $240 million in the Forest Preserve Fund
Pension Board and its employees have been working in-person since August, 2021 interfacing with the public and well as phone counseling.
Commissioner Kevin Morrison concerned that transgender sex transformation operations are excluded from retiree benefits. This will be addressed at the next Pension Board meeting in October.
Some commissioners concerned about minority investment contracts (currently 39%)

This item 19-1313 (yearly report on Retirement assets and situation) was deferred to that it can be kept open for the future.

Observer: Karin Hribar

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Funding for Electronic Monitoring Questioned by Cook County Commissioners

12/20/2020

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Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting - December 17, 2020
Virtual Meeting - All Commissioners present
President Preckwinkle left at 2:10 to attend the Covid inoculation. Vice Chair Sims took over.

Public Speakers:

Statements were read by the Board Secretary and included support for the change of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples day, support and opposition to the landlord/tenant ordinance, concerns about the use of electronic monitoring.

Board Actions:

Agenda Item 21-0019 Appointment of Michelle Kohler to Cook County Commission on Women’s Issues. Approved.
21-0490 The proclamation of disaster under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act due to Covid was extended through January 31, 2021. Passed
21-0295 The Department of Transportation and Highways requested approval of the Intergovernmental Agreement between the County and Metra. Beginning in January 2021, Cook County and the region's transit agencies will launch a three-year pilot project to improve transit service for the residents of south suburban Cook and the south side of Chicago. The pilot will begin with a 50% fare reduction on the Metra Electric and Rock Island commuter rail lines and service improvements on the Pace 352 bus route. Cook County will underwrite the costs of the participating agencies. Passed.
21-0441, 21-0445 Ammar Rizki from the Bureau of Finance explained the resolutions to contribute $341,961,760 to the Pension Stabilization Fund beyond the statute required amount. FY2021 Pension Fund supplemental contributions will be made on a monthly basis in the amount of $20,000,000 from December 2020 through October 2021. The final FY 2021 Pension Fund supplemental contribution will be made during November 2021 in the amount of $33,961,760. Passed.
21-001 The Department of Transportation and Highways requested approval of the proposed Improvement Resolution for the South Cook Fair Transit Pilot. The funds will go towards the planning studies and implementation of the South Cook Fair Transit Pilot in southern Cook County. These funds are to be used with both Metra and Pace working in conjunction on this project. Commission Degnen questioned how this could impact CTA ridership. President Preckwinkle responded that the Department of Transportation is currently working with Metra and PACE and there are ongoing discussions with the CTA. Passed
21-0367 Authorization to enter into an interagency agreement. The Cook County Safety and Justice Challenge Stakeholders including the Office of the Chief Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Cook County Public Defender’s Office, and Cook County Sheriff’s Office will partner with Loyola University to provide the data to develop a data portal to host criminal justice data to support data-informed policy decision making. Commissioner Keven Morrison asked when findings will be available. The contract is for 2 years, but data will start to be shared immediately. Passed.
21-0352 This was a request from the Sheriff’s Office and the Court to expand the existing approved contract with the GPS equipment provider. The equipment is used for electronic monitoring. The Original Approval amount was $4,064,311.50. The increase requested was $13,389,943.00. The increase to the contract is needed due to the unforeseen significant increase in electronic monitoring (EM) participants during FY 2020 because of the Covid virus, the program to reduce the use of cash bail, and the Sheriff’s Office transitioning current EM participants from radio frequency equipment to GPS equipment. There was a one-hour discussion about this resolution. Initially it had been decided to send the resolution to committee because several commissioners had questions before the meeting. Other commissioners requested to approve the increase as the Sheriff’s office has said they could run out of equipment. Commissioner Sean Morrison pointed out that this contract had been discussed and approved and that the resolution was only for additional money. Commissioner Anaya and Commissioner Kevin Morrison had a number of questions about the current usage of equipment for both radio frequency and GPS monitoring and why the projection for money was so much. Representatives of the Sheriff’s office had to check on answers. The monitoring is moving from radio frequency to GPS. The equipment is leased and so any outdated radio frequency equipment is being returned to the vendor and all GPS equipment has to be recycled to that vendor for sterilization after use Commissioners Anaya, Johnson, Miller and Degnen had concerns about the use of electronic monitoring. Degnen, Miller, and Anaya had received a letter from George Washington University about the negatives in using electronic monitoring. That is why they wanted the whole program to be discussed in committee. Passed 14 yes 3 no
20-3460 Juneteenth Recognized as a paid Cook County Holiday. Several Commissioners spoke in favor of this. There was no discussion about costs. Passed.

Follow Up Items

Agenda Item 20-5667 PROPOSED RESOLUTION Requesting Presentations from the Cook County Treasurer and Cook County Assessor to Discuss the Impact of Increased Property Taxes on Constituents

Observer: Kathleen Graffam Meeting Length: 5 hours

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Cook County Board Meeting Lasts Less than an Hour!

3/15/2019

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Cook County Board of Commissioner Meeting - February 21, 2019

Comm. Suffredin & Arroyo were both absent. All others present

Board Action:

Deferred - Proposed resolution to discuss Cook County and Forest Preserve Employees’ and Officers’ Annuity & Benefit Fund.
Approved - Items/ordinances that had been sent to committee, including the Predictable Recording Fee Ordinance (Finance) and Regional Gang Intelligence Database (Criminal Justice)
Approval of new leases for office space of commissioners Britton, Deere, Morrison, Britton, met with welcoming applause of group.
Superintendent, Cook County Dept. of Transportation and Highways, John Yonan spoke in support of the supplemental improvement Motor Fuel Tax Project (+$335,000) affecting Chicago, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village & Unincorporated Elk Grove, and its funding for Phase II Design Engineering, related to cost of design change.

Of Interest: Meeting was speedy!

Observer - Mary Ann Benden

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Departmental Budget Hearings Underway on $5.9Billion Cook County Budget

10/27/2018

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Cook County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee - Departmental Budget Hearings
October 22, 2018

Bureau of Finance - Budget Overview
Office of the President
Office of the Independent Inspector General

Commissioners present at least most of the time: Moody, Daley, Schneider, Suffredin, Boykin, Deer, Arroyo, Moore, Fritchey, Gainer.

Overview of the Budget - Ammar Rizki, CFO, and Tanya Anthony, Budget Director:

Budget is at $5.9 Billion and the $81.2 million deficit was closed by “structural changes.” There is a 3% increase in the operating budget with a 32% increase in Cook County Health (CCH) due to increased enrollment in County Care. About $500 million in uncompensated care accounts for much of this increase. CCH receives a $102 million subsidy from the County. A .3% increase in FTE positions is mostly in Health area (CCH)—about 246 employees. CCH anticipates balanced budgets for the next 3 years.
An increase in sales tax revenues is anticipated ($52 million more than 2018) due to the good economy. The prediction is for a mild recession in 2020. Cigarette, Clerk of the Court Office, Treasurer, and Sheriff revenue is down. Supplemental funding toward pensions for County workers in the past few years has saved this liability. The plan is to achieve 100% funding by 2047 if the county stays on track in making more supplemental payments.
Comm. Suffredin asked the Budget Dept. to consider charging municipalities a percentage for collecting their property taxes. This would be a big hit for municipalities. He also mentioned that the property tax levy for the County has stayed the same for many years. He seems to suggest that these two areas are possible revenue sources in the future.
Comm. Boykin noted there are currently 725 vacant positions in the general fund plus the vacancies in CCH. He asked about property tax rebates for poor homeowners and tax holidays. Comm. Schneider asked whether positions vacant for 12 months or more are really needed.
There is a new Policy Road Map which encompasses the following categories:

Criminal Justice
Health
Economic Vitality
Environmental Justice
Public Infrastructure and Assets
Operational Stewardship (efficiency and cost effectiveness)

Comm. Daley several times reminded the other Commissioners to submit questions in writing that are not answered at the meeting. The answers will then be posted on the website.

Office of the President - Lanetta Hayes Turner, Chief of Staff:

This office encompasses only 5% of the County’s budget. FTEs have increased by 24 since last year.
The county has reduced debt by 11% since 2011; and reduced land holdings by sale, lease or demolition.
In technology, the ERP (operations) and BUS (criminal justice) systems are well under way and being used by many departments. This observer could not get exact numbers on this. Key performance indicators are being stressed, so it appears that some form of performance management is being used.
In the area of improved services, the county is formally checking its 5,000 rental units and mentoring minority and women businesses to be able to get county contracts.
Comm. Fritchey questioned the need for new positions in the President’s office and increases in personnel services, Veterans departments.
Animal Control was a topic commented on by several commissioners—high kill rates, surplus budget of $7 million, opening new shelters, and doing more in this office for animals and their owners.

Office of the Independent Inspector General - Pat Blanchard, Independent Inspector General (IIG):

This office has investigated corruption, waste, misconduct, monitoring contracts, etc. The office received 394 complaints and issued 50 reports just this year covering tax evasion, improvements in Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS) billing, political hiring and firing, etc. with many recommendations.
The budget is about $2,200,000 with 16 FTEs. The budget has been cut a lot over the past years.
The cost savings for the County is very high because of this office’s work.
Discussion centered around the possibility of the IIG entering into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) for his services. A draft agreement has been written which would cover 2-3 years as an intergovernmental agreement if approved by the Boards of both entities. Two employees plus hourly charges would be charged to MWRD. Some commissioners looked to this agreement as a template for other municipalities and governments to subcontract IIG services and guidance.
Comm. Suffredin expressed concern about the confidentiality of the IIG reports and has submitted an ordinance penalizing those who leak the confidential information contained in the reports..

Observer - Karin Hribar

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Cook County Board Holds First Ever Mid-Year Budget Hearings

7/27/2018

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Cook County Board Finance Committee - July 23, 2018
Mid-Year Budget Hearings

The Finance Committee held Mid-Year Budget Hearings in connection with the Preliminary Budget Forecast for fiscal year 2019, Item 18-4447, beginning on July 23 to meet with all areas of County government. This is the first time such a process has been conducted. During the opening public comment period, the League of Women Voters of Cook County commended the Committee, noting that during last year’s meetings on the 2018 budget, a number of ideas to reduce costs were proposed, but there was not enough time to explore these ideas in order for them to be implemented during 2018. The League expressed its hope that having these mid-year hearings would allow time for any such ideas to be put forward and properly considered for the 2019 budget. The League also

Said it looked forward to the follow-up from last year’s ideas, such as the court utilization study and the report from the Chief Information Officer on opportunities to consolidate and centralize information technology
Urged that the Commissioners do all they can to see that on-going Shakman court-ordered oversight be concluded in the offices of the County, Assessor, Recorder of Deeds, and Clerk of the Court

Highlights from the hearings:

Chief Financial Officer Ammar Rizki and Budget Director Tanya Anthony
- Recapped the 2018 $5.2 billion budget
- Provided the preliminary 2018 year-end projections that there would be a $600,000 surplus in the total Operating Funds
- Presented the 2019 preliminary budget forecast which has a projected $81.8 million deficit; the Budget Department will be working with all the departments to close that gap, which is the smallest projected deficit over the past 9 years
- Departments have been asked to submit proposed 2019 budgets no greater than 2% over 2018
Comm. Gainer and Morrison both questioned the proposal to decrease the County’s supplemental (over and above the statutory limit) contribution to the pension funds in 2019. The Pension Board has asked for less, but Comm. Morrison in particular asked whether it would not be better to keep the payment at the same level which would either allow full funding to be achieved sooner or make up for any future reduced payments necessitated by a fall in sales tax receipts (the source of these supplemental payments).
County Clerk David Orr expressed his disappointment that his office’s proposal to purchase new voting equipment was not on the agenda for the Board meeting on July 25. He said that the office wanted to purchase this equipment as soon as possible to allow sufficient testing prior to its use during the 2020 primary and general elections. Clerk Orr stated that the vendor selected had the best equipment and lowest bid, along with a good reputation.
Representatives of Sheriff Dart said that the reduction in the jail population has resulted in reduced overtime costs, and the Sheriff expects to have $100,000 less in expenditures than budgeted for 2018. Labor costs for 2019 will exceed 2018 by $10 million due to Board approved labor contracts, but the Sheriff will look to reduce the impact through less overtime, streamlining the records division, and delaying hiring.
Comm. Deere asked the Sheriff to consider whether his area could partner with the Probation Department (under the Chief Judge) in such a way that both costs and recidivism could be reduced.

Priscilla Mims, observer

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Cook County Board Approves New Chief Financial Officer and New Chief Administrative Officer

Cook County Board - Criminal Justice Committee and Pension Committee

Funding for Electronic Monitoring Questioned by Cook County Commissioners

Cook County Board Meeting Lasts Less than an Hour!

Departmental Budget Hearings Underway on $5.9Billion Cook County Budget

Cook County Board Holds First Ever Mid-Year Budget Hearings

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