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

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