The Commissioners approved a $2.4 million study for redevelopment of the Stroger Hospital site. There was testimony regarding Stroger Campus and opportunities for development that will help to establish a vibrant mixed use campus to draw in the local population and integrate the medical and educational communities. The commissioners were very positive on the potential and stated this could be transformative for the West side and indeed the entire city. The study will take place through the summer, RFPs for developers are expected to go out in early fall and redevelopment plans are expected to be firmed up in Spring 2015. The Commissioners emphasized that expanded hospital needs because of providing more mental health care and County Care under the Affordable Care Act should be considered before space was given up for other purposes. Dr. Gray Shannon of the HHS said that they were comfortable that this was being done appropriately.
Significant changes to the County’s procurement
ordinance were approved. They are
designed to provide greater transparency in the procurement process and greater
participation of Minority and Women Owned business enterprises (M/WBEs). These updates give
the County more tools to promote and enforce these goals by adding stronger
enforcement measures and establish more stringent penalties for those violating
the rules.
Companies who make false
statements regarding the contractual participation or status of M/WBEs will be potentially liable for a $2,500 fine, their
contract may be subject to termination, and their company may be subject to
disqualification for up to five years. Companies who fail to meet participation goals may be required
to pay the difference between the goal and the actual spending amount that took
place. The penalties that are levied by the County will be streamlined through
the Administrative Hearing process, rather than being played out in the court
system. If a company is found to be ineligible as an M/WBE by the County, it
now will have to wait at least one year to re-apply, rather than 6 months. The ordinance cracks down on pass-through and
other businesses that would inappropriately take advantage of M/WBE status. The
process by which Veteran-Owned Businesses and companies who employ veterans can participate in County contracts
is clarified. The proposal also codifies past and current practices regarding
M/WBE participation in bond transactions.
There was a long debate on an ordinance allowing for the
creation of a municipal inspector general, set up through the Sheriff’s
office, who would be authorized to conduct an investigation of municipalities
who fail to file two consecutive annual audit reports or annual financial
reports with the Comptroller. There are currently 3 such municipalities, 2 of
which have new mayors who inherited the problem. All three are very poor communities and they
may have to choose between paying for an audit and providing basic services
such as fire and police protection, clean water etc. Gene Williams, the mayor from Lynwood, gave
public testimony to say that this is a bad ordinance and may actually be
illegal. The commissioners then
questioned whether the county had the authority or if the responsibility
belonged to the state. It was suggested that an opinion should come from the
state’s attorney. It was
mentioned that the ordinance also covers special districts, such as mosquito
abatement. Commissioner Suffredin said that he thought the problem would be
better solved by the General Assembly in Springfield but they had thus far
failed to do anything and he hoped that by introducing the ordinance in Cook
County they would actually be encouraged to act. Commissioner Suffredin stated that he had introduced
a revised ordinance, #14-1557 and asked that it be referred it to the next
finance committee. This was done.
A report was given about the Health and Hospital System
discussing the increased revenue. Dr. Raju was recognized and congratulated on
his amazing success in helping to turn around the Health and Hospital
System. In 2 1/2 years, Dr. Raju was
instrumental in putting HHS on a more sustainable financial position, helping
to create a true public hospital system that is a safety net system, while contributing to improved morale among
employees. Commissioners congratulated
Dr. Raju and his wife, and wished him well in his new job back in New York.
One public speaker addressed changes to Camp Sullivan regarding
improved camp grounds and access to the camp, and how it will affect the folks
who live across the street. There was a
lot of debate regarding responsiveness to the constituent’s
concerns. Some discussion addressed the
issue that the forest preserve meeting was the day before and it was
unfortunate that the constituent had not been there. It was determined that some of the concerns
had been addressed because large RV campers would not be allowed at that camp.
Further, it was determined that the ingress/egress could not be changed due to
IDOT and utility issues.
Testimony was given regarding Provident Hospital and the removal
of 2-underground storage tanks that were used to store fuel for the Hospital’s
emergency generators. The City of
Chicago and Bureau of Fire Protection issued notice in September 2008 that
the 5,000 gallon tank failed the tank tightness test. An engineering firm was
contracted to remove the 5,000 tank. Subsequently, the 15,000 gallon tank was
determined to have corroded piping and possible contamination to the site. The
request before the board was to approve funding to pay for the 2nd tank which
had been removed in August 2012.
Commissioners questioned the speaker regarding the history of when the
tanks were first discovered to have problems and why the funding for removal of
the second tank had not come before the board. Commissioner Schneider asked
about the level of contamination at the site. The Commissioners asked for a
letter to explain the history of the situation in order to place it in the
record. Item #14-1806 was not approved at this time.
--submitted by Laura Davis and Lali Watt
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