2016 Budget Public Hearing: Maybrook Court House, Maywood, November 5, 2015,
6:30 PM.
The hearing began on time and had 12 commissioners present.
The hearing was chaired by Comm. Boykin.
Approximately 25 people spoke, some
alone and some on behalf of groups with many people standing at the podium.
Many people spoke out against the e-cigarette tax, one even claiming that such a tax would increase the amount of people who smoked regular cigarettes. One speaker was the owner of a “Vape” shop and worried about the loss of business that might occur. Also noted were several speakers who wanted more money for Restorative Justice programs. A group called Peacekeepers handed out sheets of statistics to the commissioners about lowering recidivism rates. These folks were very polite and thanked the board for the $500,000 donation to their group. Conversations about budget balancing ensued. Finally, Reclaim Chicago spoke about the Responsible Business Act. It basically taxes employers who pay less than a fair wage.
Many people spoke out against the e-cigarette tax, one even claiming that such a tax would increase the amount of people who smoked regular cigarettes. One speaker was the owner of a “Vape” shop and worried about the loss of business that might occur. Also noted were several speakers who wanted more money for Restorative Justice programs. A group called Peacekeepers handed out sheets of statistics to the commissioners about lowering recidivism rates. These folks were very polite and thanked the board for the $500,000 donation to their group. Conversations about budget balancing ensued. Finally, Reclaim Chicago spoke about the Responsible Business Act. It basically taxes employers who pay less than a fair wage.
Some other interesting speakers included the Mayor of Lyons
who complained about the 3% Amusement Tax hurting seniors the most. The
Commissioners thanked this mayor profusely for the recent regulations placed
on the gun shop in Lyons. Other speakers complained about the same tax. Comm.
Daley stated that this tax probably would not happen.
A doctor from Access to Care based at Loyola Medical Center in
Maywood asked for more funding. Some discussion ensued about treating illegal
immigrants. Comm. Suffredin said that he would work with this program to try
to come up with a solution to this problem. Others complained about county
taxes treating illegals. Comm. Garcia said CCHHS has a mission to treat
everyone equally and doctors have an oath to treat the sick.
The SEIU (state unionized workers) speaker complained about cutting the grafitti removal team because it has been very successful. A speaker from Safer Foundation thanked the board for its support in the past. Several cancer patients thanked the board for County Care and the expansion of Medicaid. Many had had no health care at all until 2 years ago.
The SEIU (state unionized workers) speaker complained about cutting the grafitti removal team because it has been very successful. A speaker from Safer Foundation thanked the board for its support in the past. Several cancer patients thanked the board for County Care and the expansion of Medicaid. Many had had no health care at all until 2 years ago.
A huge group from TASC (Treatment
Alternatives for Safe Communities) came to the podium. They explained their mission and looked
forward to working with the State’s Attorney's Office and the Jail by
expanding diversion programs. Another speaker asked for more county facilities
to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. She complained about both
downtown county buildings and the difficulties wheelchair bound people have
negotiating some of the doors and elevators.
The most emotional part of the evening came when one speaker
(calling himself “just a taxpayer") complained about the increasing sales tax
which makes Cook County have the highest sales tax in the nation. Comm. Sims
said that it was a fair tax because it hits everyone who shops in Cook County
evenly. She became emotional when she told everyone how difficult it was to
balance this budget when all groups are asking for more money.
--Submitted by Jan Goldberg
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