LWVCC Recommendations May at Last Lead to Reform of Cook County Board Meeting Schedule

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