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The Sheriff Gets a Helicopter and Cook County has a Clean Audit

7/29/2024

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Cook County Board of Commissioners Committee Meetings  
July 24, 2024


Finance Committee
  • Carrianne Carallis, Director of Research, Operations and Innovation, outlined the new process to review and revise performance management goals and measures. The objective will  be to align the measures with the stated mission of the department in the budget book.  They are going to start with the Economic Development Department and plan to review all departments under the President by the end of the fiscal year.  Then they hope that the elected offices will also participate.   Commissioner Gainer said they should address the measures in Human Resources since money is being spent to improve the process.   Deloitte is consulting with that department.   Commissioner Daley said the elected offices should be included, especially focusing on the technology programs such as in the Court system.  Commissioner Miller asked if there were standards for the Justice Advisory Council grantee reviews.  She also asked if ARPA has standards for performance evaluation.   The ARPA reporting requirements focus more on finances.   
  • The County’s Fitch bond rating has improved from AA- to AA.   This will help with the impending issuance of sales tax revenue bonds.

Criminal Justice Committee
  • One of the public speakers was Carlos Ballesteros, a reporter for Injustice Watch, who has been investigating the high number of deaths at the jail and urged the Commissioners to hold a hearing on the issue.
  • The Commissioners recommended for full Board approval the purchase of a helicopter for the Sheriff’s Office for $11.3M. Currently, the Sherriff shares one helicopter with Chicago.   Chicago has 4 additional helicopters.   There was a lot of discussion about the cost of the helicopter’s ongoing maintenance, fuel, and pilot costs. The pilot can be a civilian and would be accompanied by two tactical officers.    There will be an additional request for money in the budget for those items.   Jason Hernandez of the Sheriff’s Office explained that they have to know the model of the helicopter to be purchased in order to calculate the other costs.  They anticipate it will be $3.1M/year. A helicopter reduces the need for high speed car chases, facilitates searches in wooded areas, and can be used for patrol and other emergencies.   It will be delivered in second quarter 2025.

Health and Hospitals Committee
  • LaMar Hasbrouch, M.D. reported that they are tracking four difference communicable diseases: Covid, H5N1 (bird flu), Mpox, and West Nile Virus.   Incidences of Covid are still low in Cook County but Dr. Hasbrouch explained that the variants change and so those people who are more vulnerable should get another vaccine this fall.  
  • The agency has five points of surveillance of standing water for West Nile Virus throughout the County.  There has been one case this year.   They have a program called Fight the Bite, educating schools and other groups to protect themselves against mosquito bites and eliminate standing water.

Asset Management Committee
  • The department is working with vendors to install electric vehicle charging stations in suburban Cook County. The vendors will charge for the service.  There was discussion about the two power levels of the charging stations and where they would be placed.   Commissioner Moore asked that some should be put in his district as there currently are very few and that they should be the higher- level charging station that requires a shorter time for the charge, as residents would not be able leave their cars for a long period of time.     Commissioner Degnen recommended that more charging stations be put in the County buildings to facilitate the County fleet being converted to electric vehicles.

Audit Committee
  • The RSM US LLP audit manager presented the report of the  comprehensive financial audit for the County.   It was a clean audit.   There were reporting errors discovered and the relevant departments accepted the findings and put in additional controls.    He stated that the workman’s compensation liability for the County is $1.3B.  Commissioner Gainer asked if he could break down the components of the pension liability increase to headcount, recent salary increases, and investment income/loss.   The auditor did not have that specific information, but thought the County analysts could provide it to the Commissioners.
  • A previous finding of insufficient monitoring of systems access for employees that moved to another department or were terminated was discussed.  The controls were better in this audit.    Commissioner Anaya asked more questions about how the controls were improved.   Currently a paper form has to be completed by the supervisor and there is a 90 day completion deadline, which the Commissioner commented was too long especially for a terminated employee.

Contract Compliance Committee
  • Director Mandeville reported on the current lawsuits in other states that are challenging MWBE programs and the potential effects on the County’s program.  Her department is working to help MWBE and all smaller vendors learn how to navigate doing business with the County.  They are making informational webinars open to all vendors.  The County needs to address how to make it easier for any small business to participate, such as breaking down contract amounts into smaller units.

Emergency Management & Regional Security Committee
  • The executive director, Ted Berger, explained the updated multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan.  125 municipalities and agencies are participating including the Forest Preserve and the MWRD.  The group cooperates in dealing with issues such as the recent flooding in the County.

Observer:  Kathleen Graffam
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Lively and Informative Cook County Board June Zoom Meeting

6/22/2020

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Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting - June 18, 2020

     The zoom format did not inhibit any of the Commissioners from engaging in lively discussion about many important items. The meeting began and ended with powerful and emotional support for President Preckwinkle and Commissioner Brandon Johnson. The president was front page news that very morning in the Sun-Times with an article about her racist experiences as a child in the 1950’s growing up in St. Paul, Mn.  Comm. Daley congratulated her on the article which also gave much credit to her efforts in the area of criminal justice reform.  The last part of the meeting belonged to Comm. Johnson’s resolution entitled “Justice for Black Lives” (Agenda Item 20-2867) with almost all Commissioners speaking to this issue and asking to be co-sponsors. (More on this resolution below).
   Public comment came in the form of letters summarized by the Secretary of the Board. The League of Women Voters of Cook County's (LWVCC) letter, about the consolidation process of the Recorder of Deeds’ and the Clerk’s offices, was included in the summary. Also included was a letter from Sharlyn Grace of the Chicago Bond Fund in support of Comm. Johnson’s resolution and many others supporting Comm. Anaya’s resolution to stop evictions during Covid. (more on that below)

Highlights of the Meeting:
  • Agenda Item 20-2615 - This item refers to President Preckwinkle’s veto message. At the May board meeting, the President exercised her first and only veto and explained her reasoning in a written statement that was filed, but not discussed at this meeting. She vetoed  an ordinance directing the County’s health department to release the addresses of  Covid-19 positive patients to first responders. Her reasoning cited privacy information and the fact that this information would not keep anyone safer.  She also worried that disclosure of this information might cause individuals to not seek medical help in the future. The measure passed narrowly last month. There was no mention of an override.
  • ​Agenda Item 20-2445 - This item refers to the Performance Management Report. Comm. Miller stated that this report looked very different from previous reports. She asked for metrics and data to support the conclusions stated by various department heads and elected officials. Jerry Pray, of the Research Operation and Innovation Dept. stated that he is still collecting data and can send it to the commissioners and post it online shortly, He said that the report this year was meant to tell a story and to focus on future initiatives. The board voted to receive the report
  • Agenda Item 20-2395 - This item refers to the rental of space at St.Hyacinth Church in Avondale for the use of a new Restorative Justice Court. Comm. Kevin Morrison wanted to know more details. A representative from Chief Judge Evans’ office stated that it was the judge’s goal to open 2 more Restorative Justice courts soon, after the one in Lawndale proved to be a success. Another one is planned for Englewood. These courts concentrate on young, low- level offenders between the ages of 18-26. The measure passed.
  • Agenda Item 20-2684 - This is another item dealing with youth, ages 16-24. Commissioners Gainer and Miller praised the Chicago Work Force Partnership’s efforts to provide employment and training to at -risk youth, especially during tough economic times.  Comm. Miller again asked for data with this program especially a breakdown of race, ethnicity and gender. A representative from the program will provide the commissioners with this information. The measure passed.
  • Agenda Item 20-2745 - This refers to the final report dealing with the merger of the Recorder of Deeds and the Clerk’s offices. Commissioner Suffredin commended the staffs of both offices. He also commended the LWVCC for their thoughtful questions and their input into this matter. This was referred to the Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, which will meet and go over the report before the July board meeting.
  • Agenda Item 20-2326 - This refers to commissary items and their prices at Cook County Jail. Before approving a contract for these items, Commissioner Kevin Morrison (along with several other commissioners) wanted to know if detainees are charged too much for these items (mostly snacks and personal items) and if the County is making a profit, A representative from the sheriff’s office said that the prices are set by the vendor and are equal to those charged by convenience stores. The commissioner wanted exact figures for these prices. The board will receive this information. They then voted to discuss this item at the July meeting.
  • Agenda Items 20-2650 and 20-0993 - The first of these refers to the Revenue and Expense report and the 2nd one refers to the report from Cook County Health. These were lumped together and discussed in a general way. The financial picture for all departments is not a good one. Revenue is way down due to less sales tax and other fees during Covid-19. The commissioners stated that a more detailed revenue report will be released on June 26th. And the preliminary budget hearings set for July will be the time to discuss these matters in more detail. Reports were received and filed at this meeting.
  • Agenda Item 20-1859 - This refers to the appointment of Judge Marcus R. Salone to the Ethics Committee. Commissioner Suffredin praised this appointment and called him a “healing force”.
  • Agenda Item 20-2891 - Commissioner Anaya sponsored this item which stops evictions during the Covid-19 crisis. Evictions are stalled right now as the courts are closed. But they reopen in July and the commissioners discussed this at length. Comm.Suffredin stated that the board does not have the authority to stop evictions but they can encourage the Sheriff’s police to NOT enforce them. All commissioners passed and co-sponsored this resolution.
  • Agenda Item 20-2867 Commissioner Johnson’s resolution “Justice for Black Lives” was discussed at length. His resolution covered a history of discrimination and incarceration against black people. More currently he cited some comments on social media that stated maybe next time fire hoses  should be used to quell marches, such as the one that was organized by Public Defenders in front of Cook County Jail. His resolution included solutions to these problems that dealt with reforms in health care, housing, criminal justice, job creation, among other things. Almost every commissioner spoke to this resolution, most thanking Comm. Johnson for introducing it and asking to be co-sponsors. Comm. Johnson stated that we must listen to ALL community groups and let them help us lead the way to reform. The board voted to send this resolution to the Criminal Justice Committee for further review.
  • Finally, a Voting Equity item (Agenda Item 20-2906) was added to the agenda very last minute. It was referred to the Rules Committee for further review. Commissioner Britton said this item was crucial to ensuring fair elections, It deals with printing ballots and instructions in various languages, making sure new voting machines work properly, and making sure that new mail- in procedures run smoothly, among other things.
Despite the length of the meeting, the number of important issues discussed, and the format of zoom, the commissioners still made time to compliment each others’ work and to joke with each other. 

Observed by Jan Goldberg                 Meeting Length: just under 4 hours, about 3 hours and 53 minutes
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Cook County Board Proposes Elimination of the Medical Examiner Advisory Committee

1/28/2020

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Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting
January 16, 2020

Items of Interest Considered by the Board:
  • An amendment to the Medical Examiner Ordinance that includes the elimination of the Medical Examiner Advisory Committee was referred to the Legislative and Intergovernmental Relations Committee. The Medical Examiner office is performing well relative to 2012 when there were a series of burial scandals and overcrowded coolers.  The office rarely has unclaimed cases over 90 days, and disposition of deceased persons is orderly and dignified.  Coms. Kevin Morrison and Daley were very complimentary of the high standard of performance.  (Agenda Item 20-0626)
  • The Performance Management Ordinance Amendment was referred back to the Finance Committee to make sure that Cook County Health was included. (Agenda Item 20-1076)
  • All the transportation expenditures were passed with many of the projects exceeding the Women and Minority Owned Business requirements.
  • Com. Bridget Degnen asked what kind of cars the Sheriff was leasing, and wanted to make sure that whenever possible, the selection is hybrid cars, not full emission.  She is very interested in encouraging the County to become more sustainable. (Agenda Item 20-0018)
  • The Cannabis ordinances were all passed with Coms. Silvestri, Degnen, Moore, and Sean Morrison voting present, in all cases regarding cannabis. 
  • Com. Suffredin will revise the amendments to the Ordinance on the General Powers of the System Board to ensure that severance payments for Cook County Health (CCH) employees are in line with Illinois state law.  Comm. Suffredin discovered that there are several CCH employees with severances promised in excess of what is allowed by law.  All commissioners were added as co-sponsors and the item was referred to the Health and Hospitals Committee.  (Agenda Item 20-1229)
 Amy Little, observer
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Employee Salaries, Step Increases, and Benefits Focus of Budget Hearings

11/5/2017

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Cook County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee - Departmental Budget Hearings
November 1, 2017
 

Bureau of Administration - including
  • Medical Examiner
  • Dept. of Homeland Security and Emergency  Management
  • Dept. of Transportation and Highways
Bureau of Human Resources
Bureau of Technology
​

Commissioners absent for all or most of the meetings:  Butler, Deer, Silvestri
Commissioners present:  Morrison, Boykin, Arroyo, Suffredin, Garcia, Moody, Daley, Schneider, Goslin, Sims, Fritchey, Gainer, Moore, Tobolski

During this hearing day, Commissioners were very attuned to making cuts in the Budget to account for the $200 million shortfall.  Much discussion on salaries, CPI and step increases, benefits, and negotiations with unions in general.  No mention of tax increases was made.

Bureau of Administration:  This bureau met the 10% reduction requested in letter sent to all departments and elected officials.  This was done through the following:
  • reducing number of fleet vehicles taken home by employees
  • coordinating maintenance of vehicle fleet
  • consolidating two print shops and renting out the space of one at 69 W Washington St.
  • reduction in staff of some departments
Questions/points brought up by Commissioners:
  • savings by freezing purchases of vehicles for one year ($10.9 million, but not all in the Operating Budget), leasing instead of purchasing vehicles (could be savings OR cost, depending), $11 million annual maintenance and fuel costs to the County, the Sheriff’s dept. does all the maintenance for County vehicles now.  (Suffredin)
  • overtime in this department doubled since last year—Why?, printing services up due to election materials  (Boykin)
  • there will be a summary of all 10% cuts made by departments by Friday, Nov. 3.  Comm. Daley concerned that elected officials would make 10% cuts based on getting state money which may not be coming.

The Medical Examiner decreased staff 10%, (down to 115 FTEs) but the caseload has increased by 12%.  This is  mainly due to gun deaths and opioid overdoses (1/3 of all cases).  This office has outsourced toxicology testing, which saved money ($1.2 million), and will sell the equipment previously used for $600,000.  Each autopsy costs an average of $1,900.  Gunshot deaths take longer to autopsy and thus cost a lot more than the average listed.  There was an increase of $226,000 in salaries for this department.

The Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s budget is 90% in grant funds, particularly from FEMA and 9% from the Cook County operating budget ($1.88 million).  This is a reduction from 2017 budget.  There are 75 FTE; of these 23 are vacant yet funded.  Several Commissioners expressed concern that several important positions were not filled.  These are currently going through the hiring system.  The current Executive Director (Barnes) has only been on the job 3 weeks and wants to re-evaluate what this department is doing and should be doing.  This department has recently been moved under the President’s Office from the Sheriff’s Dept.  Comm. Gainer is concerned about duplication of administrative functions (financial controls, communications, etc) that could be consolidated under one office.  Director of the Bureau will work on getting duplication out of these departments.


Commissioner Fritchey commented that even though all departments (through Performance Management) have a metric on zero-based budgeting, they are not really doing this method.  Rather, they begin from the previous year’s budget and add or subtract from there.  No move to change this any time soon.

Dept. of Transportation and Highways has no reduction in staff for the 2018 budget (141.5 FTE).  There was discussion on inefficiency and high cost ($20 per mile) of snow removal due to a network of disjointed roads throughout the county (570 total miles).  At the State level, an amendment to constitution was passed recently that required all Motor Fuel taxes to be spent on transportation-related projects.  There is still some leeway in this such as spending on “safety.”

Bureau of Human Resources (HR)  has 6 main program areas, mostly for offices under the President and some hiring services (Taleo) for other offices and elected officials.  This office does the union contract bargaining/negotiation for all offices in the County.  The budget was stated as being “flat” for 2018 with 44 FTE employees.  This department is in the process of aligning job classifications to actual duties.  Some reductions in costs are due to lowered drug test costs, reduced grievance arbitration, and elimination of the medical division.  They are also looking into the consolidation of other elected officials’ HR departments with this main HR Bureau.  A letter was sent to all elected official requesting information about their HR departments.  This information is expected shortly.
  • Concerns by commissioners regarding union contracts included salaries compared to the private sector, step increases, Consumer Price Index increases, ability of the County to pay.  It was pointed out that according to state law, ability of the county to pay is not a factor in contracts.  Comm. Schneider pointed to information provided by the Treasurer (Pappas) regarding salary increases between 1998 and 2017 using CPI and the county raises in comparison.  The results showed much higher increases than just CPI increases would have been.  The Benefits package for employees (pension, medical, etc.) adds 33% to their salary amounts.
  • Negotiating contracts on time (as has been done recently) saves the county money.  It was determined that encouraging early retirement is not cost-effective for the county.  There is a possibility of concessionary bargaining where previously negotiated items can be taken back—but agreement needs to happen between county and the unions.  Several commissioners preferred employees take pay cuts or pay freezes rather than laying off employees.  
  • Comm. Schneider expressed concern that commissioners are not informed about negotiations until the contract is completed.  (He read about Sheriff department contract in Crains Chicago Business). Director Haddox did not feel it appropriate that commissioners be involved throughout the process.  Commissioners (as the Board) still have the final approval of all contracts.  Comm. Arroyo, as chair of the Labor committee, will hold an executive closed session regarding all these issues later in November.

Bureau of Technology has a 2018 budget that was $2 million less than 2017 even before the requested 10% reduction.  The Director (Rollinson) described her department’s goal as “a broker of services rather than a provider of services.”  This involves standardization throughout the County, which is a work in progress.  Some departments do not want consolidation of IT as they feel it restricts their individual needs.

Observer - Karin Hribar
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Cook County Commissioners ask for Assessor “Fairness” Explanation

7/3/2017

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Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting - June 28, 2017

Significant Topics Discussed:
                                                                                                        
After a series of Chicago Tribune articles calling out the Cook County Assessor’s office for failure to provide assessment fairness between high and low valued properties, several Commissioners called for Cook County Assessor Barrios to attend a Finance Committee hearing made up of all board members to explain, defend, and take questions on the current process.  One commissioner said he wanted the hearing held in July.  

Nancy Marcus, Cook County League of Women Voters Co-President, testified that it is past time for the Commissioners to use the County’s Performance Standards in evaluating the elected offices, and the Assessor's office should be focused on doing accurate assessments in the first instance, and not opening up more avenues to contest  property appraisals.

Issues Referred to Committee:
  • An Interagency agreement between the city and the county to require recipients of tax incentives to enter into an agreement to give the city/county first option to provide job applicants.  Two commissioners felt it over bureaucratic and wanted more discussion.  Referred back to the Workforce Committee.  
  • The Cook County Health and Hospital System (CCHHS) wants to move its patient billing, call center, and public health employees from the Oak Forest Hospital System to the Holiday Plaza on the South Side citing savings of over $5 million per year.  Commissioners noted that Homeland Security still resides in the current complex which could negate savings.  They also expressed concern about the 10 year lease.  The item was referred to the Asset Management Committee.  (Agenda Item 17-3913)
  • Commissioners Arroyo and Tobolski asked for an executive session of the Homeland Security and Emergency Mgmt. Committee along with the Department of Homeland Security to discuss current security protocols at all County facilities and identify gaps and security issues.  

Other Items of Interest:
  • As of June 30, the State of Illinois owes Cook County $170 million.  It was $140 million at the end of April. 

Observer: Diane Edmundson                                                              Meeting Length:  90 minutes
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LWVCC Recommendations May at Last Lead to Reform of Cook County Board Meeting Schedule

7/15/2016

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Cook County Board and Committee Meetings -  July 13, 2016


Issue of Concern:
Twelve Committee Meetings beginning at 8:15 am were scheduled today prior to the 11am Board Meeting. Total time spent meeting was 7 hours, 15 minutes - 2 meetings held after that time in Executive Session and not open to the public. Comm. Suffredin decided to reschedule the  Legislation & Intergovernmental Relations Committee hearing on the impact of the Family Medical Leave Act on staffing and the County budget when it became apparent that the meeting scheduled for 1pm would not begin until closer to 5pm, and those waiting to testify would probably not still be available. 

Putting this issue into some context
:
For the past 5 years, the League has been talking and writing letters to the Commissioners and President recommending that:
  1. The Consent Agenda, which deals with honoring people, which often takes an hour or longer, be moved from the beginning of a Board meeting to another time so that the business of the meeting is not delayed
  2. The majority of Committee meetings be held on a day selected by the Commissioners prior to the day of the Board meeting so that the full Board has time to review what the Committees have approved prior to accepting the Committees’ recommendation, and so citizens have the opportunity to provide any comments they may have to the full Board. 

Perhaps as a result of what occurred at this meeting, the Commissioners may now be ready to act on the League’s recommendations. The July 13 meeting schedule was totally unrealistic and was aggravated by the fact that there were several times when there was an insufficient number of Commissioners present to establish a quorum.  While some Committees still had to meet, the Board Meeting was begun 30 minutes late in order to deal with the Consent Agenda (when people are honored) and take public testimony.  An hour was spent on the Consent Agenda, which was not unusual.  Public testimony took 45 minutes (see below).  The Board Meeting was then recessed in order to allow the remaining Committee meetings to be held, prior to resuming the Board meeting at 3:00, which ended at 3:30.

As a result, the Finance Committee did not begin taking public testimony until 2 pm, four (4) hours after the scheduled time.  Only a handful of Commissioners were present when League Co-President Karin Hribar began to speak regarding the proposed amendment to Performance Based Management and Budgeting (see the first item below under “Actions Taken”).  Ms. Hribar started by saying how disappointed she was that more Commissioners were not present to hear what the League had to say after having to wait so long to speak.  

After her testimony, Commissioner Suffredin vowed that the Rules Committee, which he chairs, would find a solution to how to deal with the Consent Agenda so people can be honored without delaying the business of the Board.  Commissioner Silvestri also urged that Committees, other than Committees of the Whole, be scheduled on a day prior to the Board meeting.  Commissioners Daley, Goslin, and Sims expressed support for these changes.

Any reforms will be reported in future Eyewitness Reports.

Significant Actions Taken:

1. Approval of an ordinance amendment on Performance Based Management & Budgeting. 
  • The key to the success will be in the implementation. 
  • Will all the Elected Officials in the County accept and embrace the new program?
  • Will the Commissioners understand and exercise their oversight role?  
  • Chief Financial Officer Ivan Samstein (in response to a question from Comm. Simms) stated that the spirit of the LWVCC recommendations from the 2015 Study on the STAR Performance Management System, centered on the actual implementation of the performance management system, were at the heart of the changes proposed in this amendment.  
  • Hear the LWVCC Testimony on this issue from the Finance Committee Meeting
2. Appointment of Dr. Ponni Arunkumar as the new Chief Medical Examiner, to a 5-year term. (Item 16-3699)
3. Appointments to the Cook County Health & Hospitals System (HHS) Independent Board: 
  (Items 16-4179, 4180, 4181, 4182, and 4178)
  • Mary Driscoll (thru June 30, 2017); 
  • Sidney Thomas (to August. 1, 2020), 
  • Virginia Bishop, M.D. MPH (to Dec. 17, 2018), and 
  • Layla P. Suleiman Gonzalez, PhD., J.D. (to Aug. 1, 2020)
  • Appointments effective Aug. 1, 2016 so as to allow existing board members, some of whom are being replaced, to vote on the pending new CCHHS Strategic Plan 
  • Reappointment of Mary B. Richardson-Lowry effective July 13 to July 13, 2020.  
  • In addition to these 5 people, there are 4 members of the HHS Board whose terms continue.
4. Passing of an ordinance amendment allowing County residents, who are currently required to report to the Sheriff whenever they have a lost, stolen, destroyed, or transferred firearm, to voluntarily file their proof of reporting with the Recorder of Deeds. (Item 16-4198)  It was stressed that this was a service to people, not a requirement.
5. Received for filing:
  • Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports for Cook County and the Health & Hospitals System for fiscal year 2015. (Items 16-3886, 3887,3891, and 3893) - minimal discussion on the auditor’s findings, with only Commissioner Gainer asking any questions.  
  • ​Independent Auditor’s Report of Financial Statements of the Clerk of the Circuit Court (16-3615)  
  • Independent Auditor’s Report on the Treasurer’s Office for 2014 and 15 (16-3709). 
  • Projected 2016 Year-End Revenues and Expenditures - Budget Director Tanya Anthony said that the County’s General Fund has an expected shortfall (revenues minus expenditures) of $23 million, while the Health Fund has an expected shortfall of $24 million.
6. Approval of a resolution to create a speaker’s bureau with the Chief Judge’s Office of current and retired members of the bar to reach out to students on the importance of responding to jury service. (Item 16-4199)

Significant Items Referred to Committee:
  • Two different proposed ordinances to establish employee paid sick leave for residents of Cook County were referred to the Finance Committee. (Items 16-4229 and 16-4065)
  • “Connect Cook County:  2040 Long Range Transportation Plan,” the first ever for Cook County, was referred to Roads and Bridges. (Item 16-3634)

Public Testimony at Board Meeting:
There were 15 speakers all urging that the Board take up a previously introduced proposed ordinance called the Responsible Business Act.  Among other things, this ordinance would require companies to pay the County an amount for each employee not being paid a “living wage” as defined in the ordinance.  The sponsor of the ordinance, Commissioner Steele urged its supporters to be respectful of the Commissioners with whom they were meeting, and said that he was working to get sufficient votes as well as to obtain a State law, which was preferable to a local County law.

Observer - Priscilla Mims
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LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF COOK COUNTY
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