The Public Speaks! Do NOT Cut Budgets of Cook County Health and Hospitals System or the Public Defender

Public Hearing on Proposed Cook County 2018 Budget
October 31, 2017  - Cook County Board Room

Items of interest: There were 42 registered speakers .The hearing began at 9:00 am and ended at 11:15 am. The comments were divided into two main themes. 

• Do not cut the Public Defender’s Budget.  Cuts to this office would cause a shortage of lawyers and they are constitutionally mandated to provide legal services to the public. 
• Do not cut the Health and Hospital Services Budget. There were both Cook County Heath and Hospitals System (CCHHS) employees and members of the community that use CCHHS services who stated that these services were greatly needed in the community and cuts would be detrimental to the health and well being of the community. 

Laurence Msall from the Civic Federation spoke on ways to cut the budget. They are as follows:

• Revise collective bargaining agreements to lower costs and improve work rules;
• Implement the Health System’s proposed reductions to the FY2018 budget recommendation and explore additional opportunities for savings in the Health System;
• Eliminate the unincorporated areas by having adjoining municipalities assume them, thereby saving the County from providing services, such as policing, which cannot be done efficiently or economically;
• Create a unified property tax administrative office;
• Assess opportunities for jail cost reductions; and
• Explore other reforms such as streamlining administrative functions.

You can find the full report from the Civic Federation here.
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Reported by Nancy Marcus