The Meeting was called to order at 10:15 am by President Toni Preckwinkle. All commissioners except Beavers and Tobolski were in
attendance. A delegation from Russia is
in the United States to observe government meetings and was in attendance. Commissioner Gainer commended these elected
officials for several reasons including the fact that they do not collect a
salary.
*Special Drivers License for Undocumented Immigrants:
Over the weekend, the League asked its members to call their Illinois
legislators to urge support for allowing Illinois to provide temporary visitor
driving licenses which would then allow drivers to obtain insurance. On Thursday, The Cook County Board
overwhelmingly passed a resolution in support.
It has the backing of a wide range of supporters including the Insurance
and Health Care Industries and the Sheriffs and Police Chief Associations. The Bill is expected to pass and be signed
into law by the Governor.
* Implications of State Pension Reform:
Prior to the
meeting, Commissioner Gainer held a Finance Subcommittee on Pension to discuss
the possible implications of pension reform legislation that may be discussed
by the Illinois General Assembly. Over
the past ten years the Cook County Pension Fund has dropped in its funded
status from 88.8% to its 2010 valuation of 60.7%.
*The Finance Committee: The controller gave a hopeful revenue
report. The County’s revenues are up
$9.8 million over 2011 including sales tax which is up $8.8 million even with
the reduction in the tax rate. Recovery
of patient costs at the Health and Hospitals System continues to be a major drag on the bottom line.
* Cost of Phone Service for Inmates:
The Reverend Jesse
Jackson commended President Preckwinkle for working to reduce the very high
cost of collect calls for inmates. He
asked for open hearings to learn more about what best practices are
recommended. Currently the cost per
minute is over 40 cents. The
Administration has recommended reducing that to 23 cents per minute. As a comparison, inmates in the Federal
prisons pay 7 cents. The jail holds a
large number of women inmates, many with children. Studies show that the ability to stay in
touch lowers recidivism rates upon release.
*Other News of Interest: The Board gave the Department of Risk Management the authority to resolve Workers Compensation Cases not to exceed $25,000. Commission Simms in particular but also Commissioners Murphy and Collins expressed concern with previously granted approval to give increased procurement authority to the Purchasing Department. Two resolutions were referred back to committee. This subject will likely come up again as the two resolutions were for rather routine purchasing authority. The Cook County Board will meet on a 3 week schedule instead of a two-week schedule beginning "soon." The number of meetings will be reduced from 24 to 17.
The meeting was
adjourned at 12:40 p.m. Submitted
by: Diane Edmundson
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