On February 20, 2009 at 2:23pm President Stroger called a Special Board Meeting to order to consider the Finance Committee Report dealing with the proposed 2009 Cook County Budget. The meeting was late in starting because the “Republicans were caucusing”. After the prayer and the pledge the meeting was recessed and another Special Board Meeting was called to order and recessed.
At 2:30pm. Comm. Daley called the Finance Committee meeting to order.
Comm. Silvestri made a motion to change the rules to allow for 48 hour notification for this meeting instead of 72 hour notification and he stated that this was allowed under Illinois law.
The agenda for this meeting included 3 items and the last item was withdrawn from consideration.
The first item re: Self Insurance Bonds was Received and Filed.
The remaining agenda item concerned the team for the Capital Improvement Bonds. Comm. Silvestri asked for clarification of the total amount that would be included in this transaction. With input from Bruce Washington, Director of Capital Planning, and Comptroller Morales it was determined to be $294m.
Comm. Collins wanted to know what would happen to the life safety projects that had been deferred with the expectation that there would be Homeland Security money to pay for them.
Comm. Suffredin stated that they had previously passed authorization for $740m in bonds and what they were being asked to consider now was the team. They did not need to limit the amount since the dollar amount was in the previous authorization. The Administration would have authorization to go get the bonds and then the board would have to appropriate the money.
President Stroger said he believed the ordinance had 3 different bonds with 3 different amounts.
Comm. Butler said they approved $740m in September and how it is distributed needs to come back to the board.
Comm. Quigley stated that “nobody knows what is going on here.
A motion was made to defer this item. Comm. Beavers stated that the motion to defer was “out of order” and Comm. Daley told him that it was not out of order and checked with the parliamentarian to be sure. A roll call vote was called for on the motion to defer. Yes – 11(Claypool, Collins, Gorman, Goslin, Maldonado, Murphy, Peraica, Quigley, Schneider, Silvestri, Suffredin) No – 4 (Beavers, Butler, Moreno, Steele) Present – 2 (Sims, Daley)
The meeting was adjourned and Comm. Daley stated that he would not call this back to the committee. This had come at the request of the administration.
At 3:07pm the Special Board Meeting was reconvened by President Stroger. The Finance Report for the meeting of February 20, 2009 was approved and the meeting was adjourned.
3:10pm – Special Board Meeting was reconvened by President Stroger. Comm. Daley submitted letters from the CC States Attorney, the Treasurer, and the Assessor expressing their concern with proposed budget cuts. He also submitted the Finance Committee report of meetings from Nov. 25, 2008 through February 10, 2009 with the Amended 2009 Budget for approval.
Comm. Suffredin asked Donna Dunnings, CFO, how many job changes are anticipated with the amended budget. She deferred to the Budget Director, Mr. Reinbold, who stated that the departments were being asked to work out their own budget changes. Mark Kilgallon, stated that the administration is working with the departments under the President to make the cuts without layoffs.
Comm. Peraica stated that he did not want to rehash the report from all the budget hearings.
Comm. Suffredin stated that now they have to figure out how to implement the report.
Comm. Peraica stated that they elected to have across the board cuts and not line cuts so now they vote on the floor is for accepting the report or not.
Comm. Quigley asked if this was the first time that a percentage cut had been given to the departments and how will this be done.
The Finance Department said that the departments will be able to reprioritize their budgets based on their cuts and they have about a week to do that and then they will be put into the budget book and it will be finalized.
Motion to accept the report. (14 – Ayes, 3 – Nays)
Motions were made to approve and adopt the budget with each fund being considered individually. For most funds the vote was 15 Ayes and 2 Nays (Butler and Quigley), but Comm. Collins left in the middle of the voting so for some it was 14 Ayes, 2 Nays, 1 Absent. After each fund was voted it was reconsidered immediately and voted again. Comm. Peraica also voted Nay on the Appendix A,B,C so that vote was (13Aye, 3 Nay and 1 Absent.
The Capital Improvement Budget – Mr. Driscoll told the commissioners that they have to have an appropriation by the end of the first quarter (March1) or they cannot expend any money this year for capital improvements.
The amount that they approved in their line item review of the Capital Budget is $294m.
The life safety projects are dependent on homeland security revenue that is an unknown amount at present.
Comm. Goslin reminded everyone that a budget is a spending plan – what actually gets spent depends on what happens during the year.
Roll call vote on the capital budget -Yes – 10(Claypool, Daley, Gorman, Goslin, Maldonado, Moreno, Sims, Steele, Suffredin, Silvestri) No – 5(Beavers, Butler, Peraica, Quigley, Schneider) Present – 1 (Murphy) Absent – 1 (Collins)
The meeting was adjourned at 4:20pm.
Cynthia Schilsky, LWVCC Observer
