One item
from the Finance Committee was to move a proposed resolution by Larry
Suffredin-- Creating “Accountability Charges” for Violations of the Shakman
Consent Decree-- to the litigation committee.
This resolution would deduct an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the
total amount assessed for violation of the Shakman Consent Decree from the
department’s operating funds and transfer those monies to the Cook County Self
Insurance Fund.
One of
the new agenda items from the Finance Committee dealt with the authorization of
a contract with WestCare Foundation to supply substance abuse and mental health
treatment programs for the Department of Corrections. There was a lot of public testimony against
this contract from current employees who fear losing their jobs, impact of
wages, and increase in turnover.
Public
testimony was given by Sharon Mulruney from Defend the Vote. She expressed
concern with party affiliated judges presiding over another party’s voting
machines. She stated that this is a clear violation of legal voting systems.
The website for Defend the Vote states concerns with election security.
Before
the start of the main board meeting, there was a recognition of several local
communities and their involvement in Homeland Security. Over 30 people were
recognized for their past and current service.
One
agenda item dealt with new Time and Attendance Software that will be introduced
in the county. Commissioner Daley asked if
all separately elected officials would also be part of this new software
program. He was told that the software
would be converted over to cover all employees. The goal is to move all payroll
processing from manual to computerized and improve accuracy and timeliness of
payroll processing.
There
was a great deal of discussion regarding the annual calendar of the regular
cook county board meetings for 2014. Comments from commissioners who felt that
there were too few meetings (formerly every 3 weeks in 2013 to 11 total
meetings in 2014) included concerns that there may be too few meetings to get the work done and public
perception of the how much work the commissioners were doing. Commissioners who supported
the smaller schedule commented that the new efficiency of the board meetings allowed for fewer meetings, and Commissioners would be able to get more work done in their own
districts.
The resolution approving the shorter meeting agenda was passed 10 to 6 with one
commissioner absent.
The
highlight of the presentation from John Yonan, Superintendent of the Dept. of
Transportation and Highways, was the genuine praise from the commissioners for
the work that John has done. He was
praised for his work ethic and ability to work with IDOT, the city, and
suburban cook county governments, and coming up with practical solutions.
Submitted
by Laura Davis,
Palatine Area League of Women Voters
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