Will Cook County Commissioners Take Hard Line on Expense Requests for 2018 Budget now that Sugar Drink Tax has been Repealed?

Cook County Board of Commissioners and Committee Meetings - October 11, 2017   

Significant Actions Taken:

• Officially repealed the Sugar Drink Tax.  Only Commissioners’ Suffredin and Butler voted against its repeal.
• Sent two transfer/expenditure requests from the Clerk of the Courts back to the Finance Committee to evaluate.  One being a transfer of unneeded funds from the 2017 postage budget to fund unrelated items while asking for over $150,000 increase in the postage budget for 2018.
• Approved the appointment of Ammar Rizki as the new CC Chief Financial Officer.  Mr. Rizki has been acting CFO and has 17 years of combined experience in public finance, banking, and investment management.
• ​Supported the appointment of William Barnes, Jr. as the new Executive Director of Homeland Security for Cook County.
• Established Commissioner Deborah Sims, 5th District, as the new President Pro-Tempore and published the update list of Committee Chairs, Vice Chairs, and Committee members.
• Approved the Coupe Trades Prevailing Rates Schedule, primarily ranging between $40 and $50 an hour.  The Marble Polisher’s rate is $33.95 an hour.
• Sent to the Legislative and Intergovernmental Relations Committee Commissioner Fritchey’s Resolution #17-5656 to support HB2353 and SB316 to legalize and regulate cannabis use for adults in Illinois.
• Sent to the Health and Hospital Committee a resolution to ask the Cook County Health System to be prepared to serve people arriving in Chicago from Mexico and Puerto Rico as a result of their respective earthquake and hurricane displacement

Other Items of Interest:

• Finance Chair, John Daley reminded the Board that the 2018 Budget Hearings start on October 23.  He urged Commissioners to attend all the budget hearings, including those of the other independently elected offices whose proposed budgets are approved by these Commissioners.  Daley noted that hard questions will need to be asked.
• Metra fares will increase in 2018 due to reduced sales tax revenues and reduced grants/payments from the State.

Observer - Diane Edmundson