President Preckwinkle Presents Proposed $8.04B FY2022 Budget to Cook County Board with No Tax or Fee Increases

Special Meeting of the Cook County Board followed by
Finance Committee Meeting
October 7, 2021

President’s Comments to the Board

• The proposed $8.04 B budget is composed of Operating Funds totaling $6.54 B (including $1.98 B for the General Fund and $3.94 B for the Health Enterprise Fund), plus Capital Costs and Grants. 
• This proposed budget contains NO NEW TAXES AND NO FEE INCREASES.
• The President, a former history teacher, began the meeting by giving everyone a homework assignment:  GET VACCINATED!  You can save someone’s life, including your own, she said.  The pandemic impacts this budget and use of County residents’ tax dollars.
• The County is getting almost $1 billion from the Federal government under the American Rescue Plan, with 1/3 proposed to be used for each of 2022, 2023 and 2024.  $100 million of the $333 million in this year’s budget will be used to cover expected lost revenues due to COVID, the costs of administering the money, and some capital projects that would otherwise have been funded by debt.  The remaining $233 million will be used for community program initiatives.  The proposed budget does not contain a listing of all the projects because the County is seeking community input.  Instead, the President has said that proposals for using this money will be brought to the Board over the course of the year for approval.  The County has created a special purpose fund, the Cook County Equity Fund, for keeping track of all the expenditures.
• The President highlighted the $2 B in extra pension fund payments the County has made over the last 6 years.  This year’s proposal is for an extra $325 M.  As a result, the County is on track to fully fund its pension fund by 2046.
• The proposed budget can be viewed HERE

Finance Committee’s Proposed Meeting Schedule regarding the Proposed Budget
Schedule is subject to change.   Check HERE, for up-to-date information. 
All meetings are virtual and can be viewed HERE

• Thursday, Oct. 21:  Public hearings at 10 am and 6:30 pm for people to provide comments on the budget.
• Monday, Oct. 25:  Starting at 9 am, the Committee will hear an overview of the proposed budget, followed by meetings to discuss the budgets of the Offices of the President, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, the Secretary to the Board (which will include the Commissioners’ budgets), the Public Administrator, the Office of the Independent Inspector General, the Treasurer, and the Assessor
• Tuesday, Oct. 26:  Starting at 9 am, meetings to discuss the budgets of Cook County Health, the Public Defender, County Clerk, Clerk of the Court, and Board of Review.
• Wednesday, Oct. 27:  Starting at 9 am, meetings to discuss the budgets of the State’s Attorney, Sheriff, Chief Judge, and Land Bank
• Thursday, Oct. 28:  Starting at 10 am, meetings to discuss the Capital Budget and the American Rescue Plan budget.

Priscilla Mims, League Observer