Cook County Board Begins Budget Hearings on Proposed 2020 $6.18 Billion Budget

Cook County Board of Commissioners - Finance Committee 
Departmental Budget Hearings 
2020 Cook County Executive Budget Recommendation
​October 28, 2019

Departments heard from:  Chief Financial Officer and Budget Director for Budget Overview, Offices under the President, Treasurer, Cook County Land Bank Authority, Board of Review, and Office of the County Assessor

This is the first of several days during which the Finance Committee (composed of all 17 County Commissioners) is meeting with all County elected officials and their department heads to consider the Proposed Budget.   Last week the League of Women Voters of Cook County submitted questions for some of the departments which Committee Chairman John Daley provided to the applicable department and has requested responses.  For information on the questions click here.

​Overview of President’s Proposed Budget

• $6.18 Billion, composed of $2.84 Billion for Healthcare, $1.31 Billion for Public Safety, $527.9  Million for Annuity and Benefits, $491.6 Million for Capital Projects, $374.9 Million for Finance & Administration, $297,6 Million for Debt Repayment, $144.4 Million for Fixed Charges (expenses that are not attributable to any one department, such as utility costs) $113.9 Million for Property & Taxation, and $82.3 Million for Economic Development.
• Healthcare and Public Safety make up 67% of the Total Budget
• Position counts (“Full Time Equivalents” or “FTEs”) are proposed to decrease by 401 from 2019, for a total of 22,037 FTEs.  These are all positions that are currently not filled.
• There are no layoffs proposed and no proposed tax or fee increases

Board of Review (BoR) presents its case for $2.8 million more than President recommending

• BoR reviews appeals from the property assessments of the Assessor
• Commissioners Dan Patlak, Larry Rogers and Michael Cabonargi stated that BoR needs 35 more FTEs than the 142 budgeted for in order to (1) be able to deal with the expected increase in assessment appeals in time so that the 2nd installment tax bills can go out on time, and (2) reduce the amount of overtime and the corresponding wear and tear and loss of existing employees.  Cost would be an additional $2.8 million above the proposed $13.5 million budget.
• Number of appeals has almost doubled over last 10 years but FTE count has remained essentially flat.  Technology has enabled BoR to handle the work increase, but BoR argues that at the end of efficiencies gained from technology and now need more FTEs.
• Budget does have 16 more FTEs than 2019, but BoR asking for 35 more
• County Commissioners were sympathetic because want to avoid delaying the 2nd installment property tax bill which would hurt all government bodies in Cook County (schools, municipal governments, libraries, park districts, etc.)
• However, the question is where will extra money come from?  Chairman Daley asked BoR for ideas that would not be a one-time revenue fix (such as TIF surplus) for a cost that will be ongoing

Assessor sees correlation between number of appeals and accuracy of initial assessments

• Accordingly, his goal is to hire and train employees and provide better data tools and technology to improve the accuracy and fairness of assessments
• Expects that this will take at least 3 years or more as each area of County is reassessed and trust in the assessments improves
• Budget of $30 million is $1.6 million more than 2019 and has 17 additional FTEs
• Cites new law which he championed that eliminates need for yearly senior exemption requests

Treasurer Pappas touts technology as allowing better services with continued reduction in FTEs

• Celebrating 1 million visits to web site that provides information and allows public to do many things that used to require a phone call and/or visit to the Treasurer’s office.  Among other tasks the public can do online:  see and print out property tax bill; apply for refunds of overpayments; request name and address changes; view the web site in many different languages; see local government bodies financial statements; and make payments
• More people now paying online than those making payments at Chase banks
• Has 24 Deputy Treasurers from different ethnic backgrounds to help with the outreach being done to communities around the County

Observer:  Priscilla Mims