Commissioners question Cook County's salary increases while raising taxes and fees

Cook County Committee & Board of Commissioners’ Meeting Wednesday, October 28, 2015

The Board meeting was called to order at 11:15 a.m. but the actual conduct of business started at 1:50 and ended at 2:50.  This writer found the meeting process one of the most confusing observed.  Perhaps it had something to do with the number of budget hearings that Commissioners attended in the days prior to the formal Board Meeting and the inability to get the morning Committee meetings concluded on time.

Major Discussions/Decisions of Note are: 

1. Resolution #15-4297 passed out of the Finance Committee and was approved by the full Board.  It is a contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield for $884,195,500 over a 3 year period ending in 2018. This covers 22,000 employees and 33,000 dependent lives and includes all Cook County government employees, the Forest Preserve, and the Housing Authority.  By the end of the contract, employees in total will pay for approximately 10% of the total cost of insurance.  Currently the Health and Hospital Systems employees are included in the county’s PPO network but not the HMO.  They are negotiating for the HMO [in competition with HHS’s County Care]. 
2. Resolution #15-5145 changing the Medical Examiner Ordinance, passed out of the Finance Committee and was approved by the full Board.  In addition to language updates [dropped the anachronistic Office of the Coroner reference], it gave authority to the new Medical Examiner to enter into cooperative agreements with other agencies having laboratory facilities without going to the Board for permission, and changed the accounting method for the fee fund.  The Board did ask for an email notice when entering into agreements.
3. Resolution #15-6190, proposed by Commissioner Fritchey, was sent to the Finance Committee.  The resolution calls for a county-wide referendum to abolish the office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.  The CC League of Women Voters spoke in favor of sending the resolution to committee to give the public time to review and comment.  We will closely follow this resolution. 
4. Resolution #15-5847, authorizing the Sheriff’s office to appoint a Cook County Gun Violence Coordinator was passed out of the Criminal Justice Committee and approved by the Board.  

Other Board Business

1. The CFO of HHS reported that as of the end of the 3^rd Q, HHS has $14 million budgeted surplus.  It is waiting for a $100,000 million Federal and State pass through from the State. 
2. County Clerk David Orr asked for and received a transfer of funds to purchase electronic pollbook computer equipment to serve precincts larger than 1,000 registered voters. 
3.  State's Attorney, Anita Alvarez, received approval to renew a grant for 2 staff members to work on a uniform bond court screening process thereby allowing for diversion into treatment courts and decreasing the time offenders spend in custody. 
4. Alvarez also received a 3-year $900,000 Federal grant to strengthen the response to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking who are enrolled in colleges located in Cook County including Chicago. 

Public Speakers and Consent Calendar Highlights: 

1. The Board saluted two Chicago officers that save a baby’s life by foregoing protocol and driving the infant directly to the hospital rather than waiting for an ambulance. 
2. The Rev. Jesse Jackson was honored on his 74^th birthday for his civil rights and community work. 
3. Representatives of the Black Funeral Directors Association requested a reconsideration of the ordinance authorizing a charge of $500 to Funeral Homes that pick up deceased individuals and deliver them to the County Morgue because families cannot pay the funeral home for a burial and the funeral home is not legally able to store bodies.  It was noted that the storage fee was imposed to discourage use of the Medical Examiner’s office which has limited capacity.  Commissioners Boykin and Steele promised to continue to find a solution for the Funeral Directors as they are caught in the middle.  One suggestion is that the family can gift the body to the Anatomical Society and bypass the ME’s office.  Another:  When the individual dies at home, rather than calling a Funeral Director, call the police to pick up the body and deliver it to the morgue.

Finally, there was much discussion on the number of higher than expected salary increase percentages for several individuals and departments.  Several Commissioners asked the HR Department to prepare a list of those employees receiving a salary increase higher than the standard 6.5% combination of cola and step.  It was noted that two individuals received $31,000 and $36,000 respectively and among three individuals the raises totaled more than $200,000. The point was raised because of the recent Sales Tax increase and the proposed increase to the Amusement Tax.

Submitted by:  Diane Edmundson, Observer

Reviewed by:   Laurie Morse, Observer

Comm. Fritchey Bores in on Animal and Rabies Control

2016 Cook County Proposed Budget: Bureau of Administration, Oct. 22, 2015

The Bureau of Administration is composed of

• Bureau Departments:  Transportation and Highways, Environmental Control, Medical Examiner, Law Library, Animal and Rabies Control, and Adoption and Child Custody Advocacy
• Shared Services Functions:  Industrial Engineering, Printing and Graphics Services, Fleet Management, Records Management, Veterans Affairs, and Child Support Enforcemenst

Martha Martinez, Chief of the Bureau of Administration, presented information on all the Shared Services Functions, while the heads of the Bureau Departments had individual presentations.

Several Commissioners heaped praise on John Yonan and the Department of Transportation and Highways and on Dr. Stephen Cina and the Medical Examiner's office. Several Commissioners also noted the successful rabies control clinics run by Dr. Donna Alexander and the Animal and Rabies Control Department. But Commissioner Fritchey spent a considerable amount of time questioning Dr. Alexander.

Commissioner Fritchey criticized the recommendations published on the Animal and Rabies Control Department's web site for owners of lost pets (e.g., owners should walk around their area calling the name of their pet), and said he thinks the department can and should do much better. Comm. Fritchey asked whether Dr. Alexander knew that the Animal Welfare League, with which the County contracts to take in animals the County collects from unincorporated areas, has the highest kill rate in the state. Dr. Alexander answered she was aware, but the Animal Welfare League also takes all animals, regardless of whether in poor health, unlike other entities, which explains the higher kill rate.

Looking at the number of animals collected and the number of staff doing the collection, Comm. Fritchey said that the average per day per employee is 3. He asked what else these staff people were doing. Dr. Alexander explained that capturing an animal can take several hours. Comm. Fritchey noted the Office of Inspector General's recently issued report on the department which described a practice whereby staff people with cars were able to include their time driving to and from work as part of their work day, and received overtime if they returned to their home later than the regular workday.  Dr. Alexander said that practice, which pre-dates her tenure which began in 2008, was discontinued as soon as the Inspector General brought it to her attention, about 8 months ago.  Chairman Daley spoke up that the Department had sent a letter to the Commissioners a few days earlier addressing all the issues raised by the Inspector General in the report. Comm. Fritchey said he had not received the letter, and it was resent by email to all the Commissioners. Comm. Fritchey also questioned why it was taking so long for the department to upgrade its computer system, and concluded that he would like to overhaul the deparment, but would like to ork with the department to do so.

As was true for the deparments under the Bureau of Finance, the STAR performance management 2016 goals did not encompass the departments' 2016 "highlights," and often the targets for those goals were lower than the expected actuals for 2015.

--Priscialla Mims

Proposed 2015 Cook County Executive Budget: October 17, 2014 Public Hearing and Department Meetings

Public Hearing

This was the first opportunity for members of the public to provide comments on the proposed budget that had been introduced just a week before.  The Civic Federation said that it had not had time to complete its analysis of the budget, but would do so and provide comments prior to the time for the Commissioners to vote.  But the overall assessment thus far was positive.  The Civic Federation stressed that getting pension reform passed by the General Assembly for the County was critical.

There were several speakers raising issues about the Animal Control Department and suggesting that the budget could be reduced by convening a task force to look into the operations.  There were also several speakers supporting the budget levels and the care provided by different centers in the Health & Hospitals System; it was not clear whether they had concerns that some of these budget levels might be cut by the Commissioners during the amendment process.  Several speakers voiced support for the Veterans Assistance Commission and the need to increase funding.

Department Meetings

Veterans Assistance Commission:  Issues around the level of County funding have been raised in the past several years.  Actual spending in the past had fallen well below the budget.  However, this year it appears that the Commission will spend its budget of $388,100.  The Superintendent is seeking $1 million more over that proposed by the Executive Budget to hire 8 FTEs (Full Time Equivalents).  Apparently the idea is that more people would assist veterans in knowing what help is available and applying for help, such as claims to the Veterans Administration.  However, in answer to Commissioner Garcia, the Superintendent did say that this Commission has not had to deny a request for assistance as a result of insufficient money allocated by the County.

Animal Control:  Dr. Alexander, the Administrator/Director of the department, was challenged by Commissioner Fritchey on her statement that the department provided 24/7 service.  He cited an instance in Chicago, which is covered by Chicago departments rather than the Cook County department, but the Commissioner felt he did not get a good response when he called the County’s hotline.  The Commissioner also asked several other questions about the budget, which is $23.5 million.  He tried to ask whether the department was ready to enforce the puppy mill ordinance that the Commissioner has sponsored, but which is currently on hold pending the outcome of a lawsuit.  The Commissioner stated he had been told by an Asst. State’s Attorney that the County had agreed to delay the ordinance because the department was not ready to do the enforcement.   However, Chairman Daley felt that since the issue was in litigation, no answer should be given.

Medical Examiner:  The County is close to getting full national accreditation for the Office.  Three more technicians are needed in the toxicology lab, but the hiring will be delayed to mid-year to help keep the budget in check. 

Along with Animal Control and the Medical Examiner, the other departments under the Bureau of Administration which presented their budgets to the Board, all touched on their goals and achievements as reported under the STAR (Set Targets, Achieve Results) performance management system established by the President and Board.

 
-- submitted by Priscilla Mims

Department Review Meetings for 2014 Budget: Friday morning, Oct. 18, 2013

Bureau of Administration and Bureau of Economic Development

The Bureau of Administration, headed by Carl Byrd, is composed of 6 departments and the budget proposes 558 Full Time Equivalent (“FTE”) positions:  Environmental Control, the Medical Examiner’s office, Child Custody & Advocacy, the Department of Transportation & Highways (which also oversees the separate Motor Fuel Tax budget), Animal Control, and the Law Library. 

Deborah Stone heads up the Environmental Control Department which has improved its response time to complaints to virtually the same day.  She said that this budget, which is essentially flat from 2013, does not include the proposed solid waste ordinance, since it has not yet been passed by the County Board.  The Medical Examiner, Dr. Stephen Cina, explained that the $10.4 million proposed budget increase and additional 26 FTE positions are needed to deal with the work and eventually obtain national accreditation, which was lost several years ago.  He stated that the department should reach provisional accreditation status by the end of 2014, and full status within 2 years.  This status will open up the possibility of receiving more grant money. John Yonan, who heads up the Department of Transportation & Highways, said that professionalizing his staff has enabled him to move more employees under the separate Motor Fuel Tax budget (whose money comes from the State) and to improve efficiencies.  The Automatic Vehicle Location system, which his department is collaborating with the Bureau of Technology to implement, should be ready in 2014 and will help with deployment of personnel and equipment to reduce costs while improving service and response time. 

The Bureau of Economic Development is composed of the departments of Planning & Development, the Office of Economic Development, Capital Planning & Policy, Building & Zoning, and the Zoning Board of Appeals.  Commissioner Steele questioned the proposed reduction in staff in some areas.  The head, Herman Brewer, explained that automation, the higher skill set of current employees, and the reduction in grants (such as the Community Development Block Grants, “CDBG,” from the Federal Government due to the reduced Federal budget) have resulted in some employees being laid off.  Commissioner Sims expressed concern that some of the money from CDBG was going for social services (about 15%, which is also the cap) rather than Infrastructure.  Mr. Brewer was to return in the afternoon with more information on the CDBGs, but this observer was not able to be there.

-- Priscilla Mims, observer