Some Contentious Issues at Sept. 20th Board Meeting

All board members were present except commissioners Suffredin and Steele. Fifteen to 20 minutes of the meeting were taken up with resolutions and commendations honoring work for the county, birthdays, etc. Parts of the meeting were difficult to follow as last minute items appeared with no way for the audience to know their topics since we were not given copies, nor were they adequately summarized for the observers.

Comm. Fritchey brought up the monitoring of Special Purpose Funds, calling them "shadow budgets." Another special purpose fund was approved for the Clerk's Office for automation, but much of it would not actually provide for any automation.

The County now has a new head of Homeland Security and has made an agreement with Johnson Controls to take out the equipment from patrol cars that has been installed over the past several years, due to its malfunction. There was no indication at this meeting what the cost would be and who would pay it.

A discussion centered on the process and cost of the Taleo computer system which is used to screen applicants for jobs in the county. Comm. Sims felt it was too restrictive in screening and that department heads should have more discretion on applicant qualifications.

Comm. Gainer bought up the need for an outside construction manager for the large capital construction underway in the county. It was pointed out that the county is not able to determine if construction is done correctly due to this lack of professional oversight. This will be done once bids are requested and approved, which is taking longer than desired.

Two issues frequently discussed at board meetings came up again. The bi-monthly Human Resources reports were questioned by many commissioners. Issues were the large pay raises given to many employees--some in the 20-25% range. During the budget hearings, the department heads will be asked to justify these raises.

Second, was questioning of the Purchasing Dept. as to why contracts are still being extended rather than being re-bid. Lourdes Koss, head of Purchasing, stated the department is working on reorganizing and so these extensions should end.

Karin Norrington-Reeves, head of the Bureau of Economic Development, reported on the status of job training programs. The County will no longer be a direct service provider for this, but rather will only administer. Private agencies, such as the Chicago Federation of Labor, have been hired to provide training for recently unemployed adults and career development for school-aged children. Comm. Gainer asked for reports on the effectiveness of these programs.

There was a contentious discussion about commissioners and their staffs taking the required 10 furlough days, which was voted on, with no relevant amendments presented, in the last budget. Comm. Fritchey was upset that his report was very inaccurate, leading people to believe his office wasn't complying. Several commissioners (Collins, Beavers, Sims, Murphy) have refused to comply in taking the pay cut through furlough days. President Preckwinkle and Comm. Schneider stated that it sets a bad example for the other 23,000 county employees when the commissioners themselves do not follow the requirements. Other elected offices have also not complied with furlough days (that need to be taken by the end of this month) and Preckwinkle hinted that this non-compliance may be reflected in their budget approvals this coming year.