Cook County Budget & Structure Group

Cook County Budget and Structure Group

Cook County and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District ("MWRD") government organization and oversight, including the independent inspector general, ethics, and compliance with Shakman decision principles
Transparency and effectiveness of board operations
Observing/reporting and assessing budget processes

Meetings are held as needed for the Interest Group to discuss and plan, generally monthly.
Communication with elected officials is through emails, letters and meetings as needed.

The Saga of the LWVCC’s Budget & Structure Interest Group: Successes Include Elimination of County Recorder of Deeds Office - Read the full story of League involvement in this process.

Cook County has 5.17 million people, the second largest county in the U.S.
Cook County is governed by a 17-member Board, elected by district every 4 years, plus 10 other “executive” officials, most of whom are elected county-wide for 4-year terms: President, Assessor, Clerk of the Court, County Clerk, Sheriff, State’s Attorney, Treasurer, and 3 members of the Board of Review elected by district.
The 2023 budget is $8.79 billion, which includes a total Operating Budget of $7.25 B: 56% is for healthcare; 21% is for public safety; and the remaining 22% covers other government functions (e.g., economic development, elections, finance and administration, property assessments and recording) plus such costs as annuity & benefits and debt payments.
The Revenues of $8.79 B includes $3.8 for health care (Medicaid and other sources )equal to 43.4%; sales tax of $1.1 B provides 12%; and property taxes of $809 M provide 9.2%. The base property tax levy of $720.4 million has not risen since 1996. In 2023 the County is using $291.4 M of the total ARPA funds received from the Federal government of about $1 B.
Cook County has about 23,760 employees. www.cookcountyil.gov

Five Fast Facts Voters should know about the MWRD's Budget & Structure

The MWRD’s area encompasses almost all of Cook County including Chicago, and it serves 129 communities. It treats over 1.4 billion gallons of wastewater per day – with a capacity of up to 2 billion gallons at its seven treatment plants.
It is also responsible for stormwater management and flood control through proper watershed regulations, watershed planning and local and regional projects including: massive reservoirs, miles of stream improvements, underground detention [aka “Deep Tunnel”], permeable parking lots, alleys, and schoolyards, and the removal of thousands of yards of debris from local streams.
The District is governed by a Board of nine Commissioners elected District-wide with six-year staggered terms. An Executive Director, chosen by the Board, manages the day-to-day operations.
The 2023 budget is $1.624 billion with $679 million coming from property taxes. The Stormwater budget increased by $33 million to $129 million.
Of the 1,957 FTE’s, 100 are allocated to the Stormwater budget. www.mwrd.org

For more information contact Pris Mims