Cook County Board Meeting September 11, 2013

The Finance Committee meeting met before the General Board meeting.  Of interest was elimination of the Office of Coroner, which is now the Medical Examiner office. Also, the Medical Examiner now has the power to cremate bodies.  Most big cities allow cremations, and this will allow the medical examiner's office to act more quickly to deal with remains of indigents, unless the remains are unidentified.  Cremation will save the County almost half the amount that it now costs the County to bury unclaimed bodies.

Two interesting agenda items, a proposal urging the IL General Assembly to create stricter criteria for who can serve as a Metra Board Director, and one asking for resignations from suburban Cook County Metra Directors, were moved to the Legislation Committee.

A very involved ordinance amendment dealing with Solid Waste and the county code was referred to the Finance Committee. 

An agreement between the Cook County Medical Examiner office and the Gift of Hope was proposed for organ and tissue donation.  After death, tissue can be retrieved for up to 24 hours.

Several contract extensions or transfers of funds to the Court System were approved.  There was a lot of discussion, particularly from Commissioner Sims, on the award of a contract to Aunt Martha's Youth Service Center, Olympia Field, and how the guidelines are written for an agency to bid for the business. Comm. Sims asked the representative from the Chief Judge's Office to arrange a meeting with Judge Evans to discuss the guidelines.

A new agenda item, offering a proposed resolution by Comms. Goslin and Schneider, urging the Illinois General Assembly to amend the Ethics Act, was sent to the Finance Committee.  Comm. Goslin explained that he sought to have County or board appointees to be included under the Act and used the Metra Board Members as examples of folks who would be covered with this resolution.  There was debate about which committee to refer this amendment to, and President Preckwinkle conferred with her counsel  who suggested that finance was the correct committee.  An amendment giving the Cook County Inspector General the authority to request the State's Attorney to enforce subpoenas was approved, with Comm. Sims voting present.

--Submitted by Laura Davis

Cook County Board Meeting--March 1, 2012

Issues with Medical Examiner and Recorder of Deeds Offices

The first of two main issues discussed and voted on during yesterday's Cook County Board meeting dealt with the Medical Examiner's Office. Since being in the news over the past few months, various proposals have been made by commissioners to "clean up" this office. Chief Administrative Officer, Robin Kelly, presented her findings to the Board with regard to changes being made at the Medical Examiner's office. These include holding unclaimed bodies for a maximum of 60 days, a quarterly report by the Medical Examiner regarding the disposition of bodies at the morgue, better notification to families, and faster burial procedures. An advisory board of interested stakeholders will be appointed to oversee these changes and suggest other procedures.

Concerns and questions brought up included decreased funding from the state and Cook County, use of Catholic Charities providing free burial plots, Sheriff Dart's offer to have inmates build coffins for the indigent.

After much back and forth over several meetings, a compromise ordinance was presented by Comm. Silvestri and approved almost unanimously by the Board, with Comm. Beavers voting "present." The new ordinance makes the medical examiner position a 5-year term with appointment by the Cook County President. The medical examiner may be removed-- due to negligence, malfeasance, illegal conduct, failure to properly execute duties of the office--by written request of the president and majority approval of the Cook County Board. The medical examiner can also be re-appointed after the 5-year term is over. The current Medical Examiner, Dr. Nancy Jones, is considered to have begun her term as of December 6, 2010, when President Preckwinkle took office.

The second major issue to continue at this Board meeting was the proposed referendum on consolidating the offices of the Recorder of Deeds and the County Clerk by 2016. The sponsor, Comm. Fritchey, touted cost savings, efficiencies, combined technology, and fewer staff needed for satellite offices. He stated that all the obligations/work now done at the Recorder's Office would still be done in a consolidated office. Most large counties in the United States have combined these two offices. Many speakers have spoken for and against this referendum in the past and at this meeting. Karen Yarbrough, who is running for Recorder of Deeds in the next election, and elected recorders of deeds from Champaign and Kankakee counties spoke vehemently against the consolidation.

Many commissioners felt the plan was not thought-out enough and it was alluded that political considerations were involved in commissioners being against this referendum. By the end of the meeting, the vote for placing the referendum to consolidate on the fall ballot for voter consideration was eight votes for and nine against--a very close vote. The issue will probably now be dropped, according to Comm. Fritchey, as he felt this was the most opportune time.

As far as transparency at the Board meeting, with which this organization (LWVCC) is concerned, there were three substitute amendments distributed to commissioners at the last minute. The audience could not see these and clear explanations of the amendments were lacking. Even a few commissioners were unclear on what the amendments changed from the original proposals.

Submitted by Karin Hribar