Finance Committee Votes to Seek SA's Help to Get Illinois to Pay

Finance Committee Meeting of the Cook County Board - February 9, 2016  

Significant Decision Made: 
The Committee unanimously approved a resolution calling upon the State's Attorney to:

1. Review existing court orders and consent decrees that authorize the State to make payments to see if any of these might cover payments to the County, or be amended to do so.
2. Research whether a cause of action could be brought to order the State to pay monies owed to the County.  

The resolution also calls for the Finance Committee to develop a plan for keeping the 2016 budget in balance despite the failure of the State to make payments and is scheduled to be voted on by the Cook County Board at their February 10 meeting.

Background: 
The County’s 2016 budget was balanced based on the expectation of receiving $225.2 million from the State.  However, as a result of the State’s fiscal crisis and the lack of a budget authorizing expenditures, the State is paying monies owed to the County very late, if at all. 

The main concern at the moment is that the County will not receive $31 million broken down as follows:

• $18.6 million from a combination of federal (70%) and state (30%) funds to cover a program for obtaining and enforcing judgements for "poor mothers to obtain child support."  This program encompasses 177 County personnel in the offices of the State's Attorney, Chief Judge, Clerk of the Circuit Court, and the Sheriff.  The Budget Department's slide indicated that 20,000 child support cases are filed annually and result in nearly $30 million in support payments from non-custodial parents.   The federal funds are not being received because they are dependent on Illinois paying its share of the funds for this program, which is not happening.  
• $12.6 million in direct state grants.  Of these, the ones that are causing the most concern are:

                     - $1.8 million for the Adult Redeploy program, 
                     - $2 million (to date, but more costs will be incurred) for the State's             Attorney's Appellate Assistance Program (which has to be done, so if the State isn't covering it, the County will have to)
                     - $2.1 million for the Department of Public Health to conduct inspections that are mandated by the State (so again, if the State won't pay, the County will have to)
                    - $1.8 million for a street project at 167th Street in Harvey that is already underway by the County, but for which word has been received that state funding (previously granted) will not be coming. 

Observer: Priscilla Mims