Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting
December 14, 2023

Board Action:
The first hour of the meeting was devoted to the Consent Agenda and to public speakers. 

When ready for the business of the meeting Comm. Daley asked that a vote be taken to consider an item from the Third New Items Agenda, Agenda Item #24-0583, out of order. The motion to do so was approved and the amended Paid Leave Ordinance was moved for consideration. 

• Comm. Sean Morrison asked several questions about how violations of the ordinance would be handled. He wanted to know what happens when a complaint is filed. Complaints are handled by the Board of Human Rights and Ethics. A representative from that board explained that the rules for how the ordinance would be handled still need to be drafted and cannot be drafted until the Ordinance is approved. It is expected that the Rules will be finalized by February and then approved by the Board of Human Rights and Ethics.  Then the rules will come to the Board of Commissioners for its approval. 
• Comm. Miller wanted to understand the difference between the County ordinance and the legislation as approved by the State. Home Rule communities can opt out of the County ordinance but will need to be in compliance with State Law, so in essence they are the same. She asked that outreach is undertaken so that employers will know what they need to do to be in compliance with the new legislation. 
• Comm. Trevor was concerned with the time frame for instituting this legislation as it takes effect on 1/1/24. She too felt there needs to be more outreach so the employers and employees understand the legislation. Discussion of this agenda item continued for about an hour after which a vote for approval was taken. The vote was 16 ayes with Comm. Lowry voting present due to a Conflict of Interest. 

Comm. Degnan raised an issue with Agenda Item #24-0029, a contract with LexisNexis. She stated a concern that vendors should not be able to collect data that they can then bundle and sell. She asked that language be included in contracts to ensure prohibition of this process. Tanya Anthoney, CFO, said that they are developing a strategy with the Bureau of Technology, the Procurement Department, and the States Attorney’s Office to strengthen the language in this type of contract. 

Comm. Quezada questioned a contract extension, requested by the Chief Judge, with a company for radio frequency electronic monitoring (EM). (Agenda Item #24-0009) He indicated that there are more problems with this type of EM equipment than with GPS monitoring. A representative from the Chief Judge’s office stated that of the 1700 persons in their EM program about 200-400 use the radio frequency equipment. The 7 month extension is being requested so they can complete the RFP process for a new vendor that began in July of 2022. Testing of the equipment takes a long time. This item was deferred after questions from Comm. Anaya and Comm. Stamps were not answered to their satisfaction.  

Most remaining items on the agenda were bundled by department and approved with no discussion. All the items in the 5 sets of New Items were done at once with some items being referred to committee and some items being approved. Meeting lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes.

Previously on December 12 and 13 a number of the Board Committees met, and among the items of interest dealt with are the following:

December 12
Health and Hospitals Committee
Dr. Hasbrouck, COO of the Cook County Department of Public Health, presented the Quarterly COVID and Infectious Disease Update. Highlights of the presentation:

• In October 2023 there were 5 cases of measles, the first since 2017. All cases were in unvaccinated persons and contact tracing was done to contain the outbreak. Over 300 contacts were identified and of those, 88 people were deemed to be at risk and monitored for 21 days. No further cases were reported.
• COVID and Flu are both showing slight increases in number of cases. Waste water contamination is also increasing and is being done for both COVID and the Flu. 
• The majority of those hospitalized with COVID are over 65 years old. COVID vaccine is now considered to be a seasonal vaccine like the Flu vaccine. 
• There have been no new cases of MPox since July in Cook County. 

There was also a presentation about the Good Food Purchasing Program, that provided an update on the implementation and progress of this program since it began in 2018. ARPA funds are to be used to assess the progress of the program in expanding access to healthy foods throughout Cook County as well as changing the food procurement processes within Cook County Government. 

December 13
Finance Committee 
A public speaker expressed concern that a budget amendment was approved during the budget process adding 4 people to the staff of the Board of Review (BoR). He stated that the amendment process did not allow for rebuttal from the public. He stated that the BoR needs to be reined in.

• Lawrence Wilson, CC Comptroller since 2013 will be retiring as of Dec. 31. Several commissioners acknowledged his good work and he made a few comments.
• All business on the agenda was approved without discussion.

Finance Sub-Committee on Litigation 
All business including the Inspector General (IG) 3rd Quarter Report was conducted in closed session and the IG report was voted on to Receive and File when the committee returned to open session. No public discussion. 

Transportation Committee
Jennifer Killen, Superintendent, Department of Transportation and Highways, gave a presentation about 2 programs that will use ARPA funds for various projects. 

• Stormwater Management Project - partnering with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) to deal with urban flooding. The funds will be used for technical assistance for those communities that lack municipal capacity, with equity at the forefront of the grants. Over 100 known drainage problems have been identified, and projects were selected based on readiness to proceed and the likelihood that the investment will improve the problems. 26 projects will receive funds with 6 in unincorporated Cook County. $20M is available and $18,775,000 has been granted with a reserve in case it is needed. Under this item, 8 grants to municipalities in Suburban Cook of under $1 M each are recognized as having been granted for a total just under $6 M.  (Agenda Item 23-5643)
• Invest in Cook Expansion Program - These ARPA funds ($25M) will be used for infrastructure projects that are not eligible for Motor Fuel Funds. Over 300 applications were received.. The Board previously approved grants to Chicago totaling 13.5M for 19 projects. This item is acknowledging that 23 entities in Suburban Cook County are receiving approximately $8.4M in separate grants under $1 M each for 23 projects. The total granted, including the amount previously approved for Chicago, is around $23.245M, with again some in reserve if needed. (Agenda Item 23-5644)

All items on the agenda were approved with no questions. It was noted that the Dept. of Transportation had met with each Commissioner about the ARPA funds distribution.

Asset Management Committee
Two items provoked discussion

• A resolution for acquisition of a building to be converted into a mail order robotic pharmacy in Countryside for $2.7M. This property was identified after looking for property for many years. The pharmacy was previously housed at Oak Forest Hospital and then at Stroger Hospital but more space is needed. Comm. Morrison had questions about the cost of renovating the building for its stated purpose. The estimate for renovation was given as about $8.5M. An RFP will be used for new robotics equipment. It will be a 24/7 operation employing about 70 people. (Agenda Item 23-5618)
• A Proposed Lease Agreement for property at 439-493 31st St. in Chicago that would be taking over a lease from Howard Brown Health in property that they have never occupied. Cook County Health would like to relocate outpatient services from Provident to this space so they can expand in-patient areas in Provident. Several commissioners expressed their concern that this was coming before them without any previous outreach from Asset Management, but it seems that email had been sent to at least some of the commissioners about this proposal. In person contact was requested. After much discussion about cost and need for this space, it was approved with 2 commissioners voting no on this item. (Agenda Item 23-5619)

Observer - Cynthia Schilsky

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

Finance Committee:

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

Litigation Subcommittee of Finance Committee:

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

​Transportation Committee:

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

Observer - Karin Hribar

Meetings of the Committees of the Cook County Board
September 20, 2023

Commissioners spent much of the over 3-hour meeting of the Finance Committee discussing two proposals to utilize ARPA funds to provide loans for the purchase of hotels to provide long-term housing for the homeless.  Commissioners also discussed at length a proposal to utilize ARPA funds to help people pay their water bills.  All of these proposals for utilizing ARPA funds were passed (and subsequently approved by the Board on September 21).

Following are more details about these items, as well as other key items discussed at the Finance, Health & Hospitals, and Transportation Committees.

Finance Committee
Loans to purchase hotels:

• The Finance Committee approved two proposals to use ARPA funds: $7 M to provide a 30-year, interest free loan to Connections for the Homeless to acquire the Margarita Inn .in Evanston to create a fixed site, 70-person permanent shelter; and $6.5 M for a 30-year, interest free loan to Housing Forward and Oak Park Development Corp. to acquire the Write Inn in Oak Park to create a similar shelter, along with a medical respite supportive services facility for recuperative services.  (Items 23-4079 and 23-4091)
• Commissioner Moore and others voiced concern about spending these amounts in Oak Park and Evanston when there is an even greater homeless need in the South Suburbs.  Susan Campbell, the Director of Planning & Development, explained that in addition to the remaining ARPA funds, the County also has $28 M from HUD that can be used over the next 5 to 8 years for such projects, in contrast to ARPA funds that need to be spent by 2026. Ms. Campbell explained that it takes a long time to identify possible acquisitions such as these two to provide shelters, and while efforts have been focused on the South Suburbs, similar projects are not ready yet.
• Representatives from the groups receiving the loans explained that the concept of providing housing for the homeless has changed dramatically.  Prior to COVID, night-time only housing was provided utilizing different churches each night with a corps of volunteers.  That fell apart during COVID, and instead money was used to rent rooms in hotels.  This is not sustainable because of the high costs.  These 2 projects represent a new way forward.  With the County providing the up-front money to purchase the buildings, the groups will raise the money for the operating costs from other sources, both public and private.

Assistance with water bills  

• A revised approach to helping make water affordable was submitted to the Commissioners after their concerns with the initial version led to deferral at the last meeting in July.  Under the substitute, $7.9 M of ARPA funds was approved to provide assistance to qualifying suburban residents, with a required confirmation from the towns which will receive the payments for the accounts of their residents that the towns are, in turn, paying their suppliers (mainly the City of Chicago). Item 23-3116, which passed with Comm. Degnen voting no and Comm. Sean Morrison voting present.  (This was then approved by the Board on Sept. 21.)
• Comm. Degnen expressed concerns with both the high level of administrative costs (16%, or $1 M out of the total $7.9 M), as well as how the program is set-up, with the ultimate suppliers not necessarily receiving payment.  Comm. Morrison and Anaya both wanted the program to prioritize providing assistance to those residents who have received shut-off notices.  Comm. Moore also said that he thinks these funds would be better spent on water infrastructure, which is a major problem in some of the suburbs.

Comptroller’s Report

• For the 8 months of the fiscal year, there are positive variances with $258 M more in revenues than in expenses in the General Fund, and $275 M more in revenues than in expenses in the Health Enterprise Fund.  (Item 23-4548 and 4968)

Health & Hospitals Committee

• The head of the Public Health Department, Lamar Hasbrouck, told the Committee that the disparities between different racial and economic groups with regard to chronic diseases widened during the pandemic.  Lack of access to healthy food (food deserts) contributes to these disparities. Thirty-nine communities are receiving grants to help with this, along with providing health resources. (Item 23-3564)
• Dr. Hasbrouck also provided an update on infectious diseases:  The level of COVID remains low, but the number of cases has recently started to slowly rise.  Of concern:  there has been a dramatic fall-off on those getting the newer boosters.  For West Nile, the risk currently is high, with 30% of mosquito pools testing positive.  But there have been only 25 cases and 1 death since June 1.  There are almost no cases of Mpox.

Transportation Committee

• Jennifer (“Sis”) Killen, the Superintendent of Transportation & Highways, presented the Cook County Transit Plan.  (Item 23-3714)  There are 3 main goals:  (1) increase the use of public transit; (2) make the system more seamless; and (3) focus on the needs of transit-reliant communities -– the southern edges of Chicago and south suburbs are the worst in terms of availability of public transit.  
• Given the goals, the proposal is to make investments in (1) better bus service, especially supporting PACE with connecting suburb to suburb, and working with both PACE and the CTA to provide more frequent and longer hours of service (especially off-peak to serve the needs of those working those hours); (2) improving access to transit, such as investing in sidewalks to reach the transit and making accessibility improvements to train stations; (3) assist with service to new areas, recognizing there needs to be sufficient volume to make such service cost-effective; (4) where not cost-effective, assist with micro transit on demand; (5) help provide better bus stops, such as shelters and seating; and (6) fare integration  -- can currently use Ventra for both CTA and PACE, but Metra trains are not integrated.
• To implement this, the plan is (1) to partner and help fund moderately-sized projects; (2) leverage state and federal grants; (3) help fund start-ups of new programs to test ideas with pilots; and (4) provide support for policy implementations.
• Comm. Trevor explained that she understood that the normal process was to “receive and file” this plan, but she was going to vote “no” out of concerns with the methodology employed.  She said that the plan was put together after talking with current and lapsed riders.  She said they needed to talk to new, potential riders.  Also, she does not think the plan sufficiently addresses transit deserts and suburb to suburb transit.
• Comm. Stamps asked about the status of fare integration.  Supt. Killen said that there are active negotiations, but success could be a couple of years out.  They have to identify a capital fund path, as well as operating fund path.
• Comm. Morita said the #1 need for transit in her near north suburban district was transit to community colleges, specifically Oakton in Skokie. 

Observer - Priscilla Mims

Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting
November 4, 2021

Board Action:
The RTA (which includes the CTA, PACE and Metra) presented their 2022 budgets to the Cook County Board  for their information as required by law. The Board received and filed the reports.

• $3.4B budget for the entirety of the RTA, up 4.6% over pre-Covid estimates. Ridership has been down nearly 50% since March 2020. Due to lost revenue from riders, the budget has been made possible by three Federal Covid relief grants. (Agenda Item 21-5973)
• Cook County has implemented a Fair Transit Pilot, and is going to look at the results in the next 6-12 months.
• Comm. Degnen pressed the RTA leadership for a more concrete plan for the electrification of the bus fleet.  
• City Transit Authority (CTA) spoke of their five year plan for capital improvements. This includes a blue line rebuild, improvements in Austin, rail improvements, and a red line extension for the south side. They are working towards electrifying the entire fleet by 2040. Again, Comm. Degnen asked for a plan and budget for implementation. Since January, ridership has nearly doubled, but the CTA still has a $160M deficit in its operational budget. (21-5974)
• The Metra director presented their $900M operational cost budget. There will be no fair increase for 2022, but ridership is at 80% of pre-pandemic levels. Their 2022 budget includes cautious assumptions about ridership in 2022. (21-5976)

Commissioners approved an ordinance amendment designating firearm and ammunition tax revenues for gun violence prevention programs. Cook County, pursuant to its home rule powers, implemented a tax on firearms and ammunition to curb the cost of gun violence. (Agenda Item 21-6225)

• The City of Chicago has released information stating that the number of gunshot victims has increased 10% compared to 2020, and increased 70% compared to the same time period in 2019. 
• Comm. Sean Morrison spoke against approving the ordinance, explaining that the Supreme Court of Illinois has already overthrown the existing gun tax based on the wording of the bill, and confusion over how the money would be spent. He stated that it violates the uniformity clause, the uniform collection of federal taxes. 
• The motion carried, notwithstanding the division. Comm. S. Morrison and Comm. Sylvestri voted against approval. 

The Board Referred:

• Commissioners referred to the Legislation Committee a resolution “Urging the Illinois State Legislature to pass House Bill 4176 to provide to Cook County Police Chiefs local law enforcement override of a felony rejection or a designation of a felony as a continuing investigation by the Cook County State’s Attorney."(Agenda Item 21-6219)

Observer: Amber L Elmer                                                     Meeting Length: 4 hours 40 minutes

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

Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting -  February 27, 2020

Board Action:

• The County Board approved the appropriation of $25,000,000 of motor tax fuel funds for transportation improvements within various properties under Forest Preserve jurisdiction.  The money goes to properties that do not charge admission.
• The Board renewed an agreement with the Cook County Sheriff’s Department and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to maintain and expand the Prescription Drug Buy Back Program.  Pharmaceutical drugs are collected and disposed of in ways that keep them out of the Chicago Area Waterway System.

What to Watch for: 

• Tightening of approval of contract renewals and extensions.  The Cook County Clerks office asked for a one-year extension of their contract with the company maintaining and hosting their website even though they have maxed out their automatic renewals of the contract.  

​Other Observations: 

• The Board approved an agreement between the Cook County Medical Examiner and Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago for indigent burials of the unclaimed, unknown, and unborn children.  $48,000.

Observed by:  Kim Inman                                         Meeting Length:  1 1/2 hours