Nov. 9, 2009 Finance Committee Meeting to Review the Proposed Budget--Juvenile Temporary Detention Center

Earl Dunlap, Transitional Administrator, Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) of Cook County, provided an overview of the Detention Center.  The average daily population from 7/1/08 to 6/30/09 was 390.59 detainees.  The adult transfer population (included in total pop) was 94.78.  The racial breakdown of the population was 84.3% African American, 10.2% Hispanic, 2.6% White. 

There has been a rush of hiring in the last 10 months – 260 total new hires including 130 counselors and 20 team leaders.  Staff received 37,000 hours of training.  New staff gets 6 weeks of training before they begin.  Staff training complies with the Administrative Office of Illinois Courts (AOIC).

Reports on staffing have gone to the federal court in charge of the consent decree, which mandates the changes in the JTDC, Office of the Chief Judge of Cook County (newly made the administrator

of the JTDC) as per the federal court decree.

A dramatic upgrade is being made in the staffing at the Center. It will eliminate the current Juvenile Detention Counselor position and replace it with a Youth Development Specialist.  Making this change will provide more highly skilled workers available to the detention center population. It will also put the JTDC in compliance with the AOIC, permitting the JTDC to qualify for more State of Illinois dollars for costs, reducing its reliance on Cook County revenues. The Juvenile Detention Counselor position has traditionally been a position where only a high school diploma and no specialized training has been needed for direct work with the detainees in the living units. The Youth Development Specialist (YDS) position requires a college degree in an appropriate field.  A Youth Development Specialist Associate position will be available to those who

pass the hiring test for the YDS, get re-hired and are working to complete a college degree. All current Counselors will be welcome to go through the hiring process for the YDS Associate.

In the past year, there have been 88 investigations of instances involving the counselors done by the investigators newly hired by Office of Transitional Administrator (OTA). Of the 88 investigations, 33 involved physical abuse, 9 were substantiated, and employment terminated on that staffer.

Five of nine anticipated living centers are now open.

On Tuesday, November 17th there will be a federal court hearing regarding employees affected by the

recommendations to eliminate the counselor positions and the replacement of those workers by Youth Development Specialists with higher educational requirements.

The JTDC has not exceeded budgetary limits for FY 08-09. In fact, expenses have been below those limits.  There will be a reduction of overtime by 2011. 

Glass doors in the detainees rooms will be replaced by steel doors so that they have more privacy and detainees cannot break the doors as easily.  Safety rooms (padded) will be installed for detainees who need them.  Staff will get 2 way radios with direct contact with detainees.  Time clocks are being installed and activated for all staff. 

JD Counselor position will be upgraded to the YDSpecialist, which has essentially the same qualifications as an entry level Probation Officer.  The job reclassification will cost the JTDC $1.11 million. 

Currently there are 20 staff members in mental health positions, currently paid by the Cermak Health services. Many experts / standards say there should be 44 staff members in MH positions at JTDC. However Dunlap himself recommends a total of 30 MH workers. 

In response to questions from Commissioner Schneider, Dunlap answered that he, his assistant, and the consultants they hire submit itemized expenditures that are paid through funds from the State’s Attorney.  Dunlap works 2 1/2 to 3 days a week only.  There is a full time administrator who comes in on Monday around noon. He works Monday afternoon and into the night; all day Tuesday and Wednesday, including the night; all day Wednesday; and all day Thursday, taking the Thursday train at 4 or 8 p.m. to get back home. He puts in a 40 – 50 hour week at the DC, and works on the weekend at his home.

Regarding expenses, Dunlap said, the JTDC has been greatly ‘underresourced’ for a very long time. Much of the dollar expenditure is to close the gap from what was deplorable to what is proper.  The physical plant itself makes expenses higher than necessary. A more efficient facility could be 30% cheaper.  Just processing the detainees into the facility is expensive, but 26% of all those detained are released in 96 hours or less. Ways to reduce that have been brought to the attention of the Chief Judge of the circuit.

any alternatives to detention already in place should be increased, including electronic monitoring. Weekend courts and/or Saturday court calls would cut down on JTDC population. Evening and weekend court calls mean parents could be there with their kids. Kids on psychotropics now end up in JTDC, though it is not a proper treatment place for them. If the population is reduced, staff can be reduced, and expenses would be reduced. Juvenile crime rates are lower than they have been in 40 years, yet the population of the DC has not fallen by the same proportion.

Commissioner Collins stated that kids are now being punished twice: once by the situation that brought them to do illegal things, once by the very fact of being in the JTDC. It is important to keep the kids out who don’t belong there, and to appropriately assess and treat those who do belong there.

Collins asked why Dunlap thinks he only needs 30 and not 44 Mental Health staff at the DC. He responded that many of the mental health problems detainees have are not treated appropriately at the JTDC. They should have access to detox and other similar services in more appropriate settings. Collins also asked if the court could give a waiver to workers whose jobs will be terminated – there is value in having the good workers who have been with the DC for years stay there. Dunlap stated that the employees will all have a chance to apply for the newly created position.

Commissioner Sims stated that there should have been a way to work things out with the 200 plus workers who are being laid off.  She also said that the Chief Judge will hire a superintendent; after the Transitional Administrator will be out, the court can / will still be monitoring the situation.  Currently there is no superintendent of the JTDC. The office has remained vacant while Dunlap has been TA. Dunlap expects to be gone by the end of summer. 

In his concluding statement, Dunlap noted that Cook County locks up more kids than New York City does – and NYC has four times as many juveniles.  You can educate someone for six years at Harvard for what it costs to keep a youth for one year in the JTDC.

--Submitted by Observer Millie Juskevice, with assistance from Observer Ruby Donahue

CC Finance Committee Budget Review – Bureau of Human Resources, Nov. 2, 2009

The Director of the Bureau of Human Resources, Joseph Sova, stated that the proposed budget for this Bureau met the target of 5% less than 2009.  If the sales tax were reduced and an additional 5% reduction were required, that would mean that he would only be able to fill 1 out of the 8 open positions he has, though he feels that he is already currently understaffed.  In the 2009 budget, $2 million was allocated to implement an online employment application tracking system, which he feels will eliminate most of the human errors that occur in trying to handle 13,000 applications each year.  Negotiations are in progress with the vendor for the Taleo system, with the expectation that the Board will be asked to approve the contract in Dec.  This system will only be implemented for the departments reporting to the President, the Health & Hospitals System, and the Forest Preserve District.  The other elected officials are responsible for their own hiring, though they may choose to utilize the system for their departments in the future.

Comm. Peraica stated that he would like to add more money for this Bureau, which he feels is critical to the proper working of Cook County.  He noted that the County has paid close to $2 million in fees for the court-appointed Shakman decree compliance officers.  Mr. Sova stated that he thinks they are within 30 days of having a hiring plan, one of the elements that needs to be in place before the County can come out from under the Shakman decree oversight. 

Comm. Gainer would like the County to get a better handle on the total costs for absences of all types:  workers comp, Family Medical Leave Act absences, short-term and long term disability, leaves of absence, as well as ordinary sick days.  The responsibility is split among Risk Management, the individual departments, and Human Resources.  Comm. Simms inquired as to whether Human Resources is any closer to properly classifying employees in appropriate job titles, which has been recognized as being a problem for many years.  Mr. Sova said that he is in the process of looking into the Request for Proposal and responses from 2007 to perform such a task using outside contractors.  One response to cover only 8 of the grades was for $1.8 million, while another proposal that covered additional grades was for $3.5 million. 

--Submitted by Observer Pris Mims

Cook County Board Meeting July 21, 2009

The Board passed an amendment which waives the death certificate fee for the family and friends of desecrated grave victims of Burr Oak Cemetery. Commissioner Daley stated that this gesture would help provide closure for the families and friends affected by this tragedy. One issue of concern with recovering the graves at Burr Oak is the cost to the county. Commissioner Peraica offered that the State of Illinois has a responsibility to pay for incurring costs—not just Cook County. Sheriff Dart spoke on behalf of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, recalling the 55,000 phone calls his office has received, and his hope that the county will recover some of the $326,000 dollars it has spent to investigate and repair the fallout from the grave crimes.

The Board then paid tribute to Officer Williams, a former employee with the sheriff’s department, who was recently killed in battle in Afghanistan, as well as Frederick Douglass Sengstacke of the Chicago Defender, recently deceased. Rising votes were taken for both of these noble men. Finally, condolences were expressed to the family and friends of Dempsey Travis, whose name remains highly respected for his multiple roles as Civil Rights activist and contributor to the real estate profession.

The financial state of the county, particularly the implementation of the sales tax, was also brought to the table at the meeting. Commissioner Peraica stated that Cook County is running behind on its projected increase in revenue, while Commissioner Suffredin was more optimistic about the financial condition of the county. He argued that Cook County is not in a financial crisis.

Discussion concerning the new budget –to be made public in September—followed. At this time, the Board plans to hold forums in which elected officials will debate budget requests. As discussion of the budget continued, the announcement that the current reduced allocations in the budget will be the starting point for next year’s budget was made.

The Board discussed cutting the sales tax by .25 per cent and the question of how much this reduction will affect health care was debated. Commissioner Sims reiterated her position that she will not support any reduction of the sales tax if reducing the tax means compromising health care. She also encouraged a climate of trust and compromise among Board members.
The sales tax has had the unintended effect of reducing revenue in Cook County instead of increasing it, as residents are now shopping in counties which have lower sales taxes. The Board reminded one another and the audience that there is no Cook County sales tax on food. Commissioner Collins offered that the Board only receives one penny out of the 9 pennies that is charged on sales in Cook County. She also expressed her hope that the Press and the people of Cook County will stop vilifying the Board for the tax increase.

A substitute ordinance that reduces the sales tax to 1.25 percent beginning January 1 was presented. Finally, Commissioner Butler emphasized that attempts to replenish peoples’ pocketbooks is only “feel good” rhetoric: the county still needs to retain any monies it may have acquired to pay venders who have remained unpaid for significant periods of time.

Rolling back the Sales Tax? Cutting the Commercial Real Estate Tax?

Cook County Board Meeting -- April 15, 2009

New Cook County Board member Commissioner Bridget Gainer was introduced and congratulated. She replaces Commissioner Mike Quigley who was recently elected to the U.S. Congress.

Once again, Comm. Peraica pointed out that another $400,000.00 was spent by the board for compliance administration regarding the Shakman Decree. He called it a corruption tax which taxpayers need to pay due to continuing patronage abuses.

A lot of active discussion centered on a proposed amendment to the Real Property Assessment Classification Ordinance sponsored by Comm. Murphy and Sims. This ordinance is designed to give a tax break to businesses that have had a reduction in income of at least 40% in a year. Commissioner Claypool argued that it is unfair and counterproductive to give tax breaks to unsuccessful businesses and not to their competition, which may exist in the same community. Taxes would need to be raised for others to make-up the loss. Other commissioners pointed out that if these businesses fail, then no taxes will be collected. The Assessor's Office noted it is difficult to determine the criteria for a business failing--who would qualify for this tax abatement. Comm. Silvestri called this part of "piecemeal efforts to re-do taxation." The ordinance passed 9 to 5 for a duration of 5 years.

President Stroger and Comm. Peraica both submitted separate ordinance proposals to roll back the county sales tax. Stroger proposed a .25% decrease per $100 to go into effect next January 2010. Peraica proposed a 1% decrease (the entire amount of last year's sales tax increase). Pres. Stroger declared Peraica's ordinance "out of order" and didn't want it to go further. There was quite a bit of back and forth rancor over this but finally both ordinances were sent to the finance committee (which is the entire board) for consideration.

Commissioner Suffredin submitted a proposed resolution requesting an opinion of the State's Attorney on the procedures required to recognize the will of the voters in Barrington, Hanover and Palatine townships to disconnect from Cook County. This was sent to the legislation committee.

For 3 days in May (the 6th, 7th, and possibly 8th), the finance committee will review the budgets for years 2007, 2008, 2009 in the area of Capital Equipment. The intent is to re-prioritize the expenditures and reduce costs. This was already done for the Capital Improvement budget a few weeks ago. Because of this, many commissioners did not want to approve new Capital Improvement expenses at this meeting. Comm. Beavers insisted the new expenditure proposals be passed or sent to his committee on technology. In the end, all further expenses in the Capital Equipment Fund were delayed until the re-prioritizing could be completed.

Lowering Capital Fund Expenses & Complying with Court Orders

Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting

April 1, 2009

Three main topics of this meeting were inspecting the Capital Fund budget, complying with court orders (Duran Decree and Shakman Decree) against Cook County government, and the contact bid process.

Early in the meeting, Comm. Peraica forcefully noted that the county is still spending millions of dollars because of court case pay outs due to patronage in the system.  He also stated that the Duran (court) decree needs to be addressed by the board.  This entails spending about $8.4 million for Cook County jail software (keeping track of the inmates and their court appearances--the current system failed recently for 18 hours) and about $5 million for the  replacement of two outdated buildings (which will take until 2011 to complete).  After consultation with Comptroller Morales, it was decided to use money in the operating budget to begin these expenditures immediately.  The $8 million amount would be added to the Capital Fund budget.

Comm. Sims proposed that to comply with the Shakman (court-ordered) Decree each department head evaluate the job descriptions, titles, and placement of people in these jobs under their direction.  After discussion with newly hired Human Resources director Joe Sova, it was decided this could and should be done within each department for no extra cost.  The HR department could help with this but does not have the man-power to do the whole job.

There was a heated discussion among commissioners about the bidding process for contracts in Cook County.  One contract for interpreters in the court system has been rebid four times since early fall.  Comm. Silvestri complained that the bid process is too cumbersome and confusing to vendors and that good vendors may stop doing business with Cook County because of this.  The bid process has caused controversy at many board meetings I have attended since September.

Commissioner Schneider proposed that the board go over each line item in the Capital Fund budget to see where cuts could be made, ostensibly to lower the bond amount.

Comm. Beavers stated that there was no need to go over this budget again.  He indicated it was a tactic to delay choosing a bond team, stating that if the bond team were white instead of African-American, this would have been done already.  I left the meeting after that, but according to the next day's newspaper, enough items in the capital fund budget were deleted to bring the total down  over $20 million from about $262 million.  Further cuts were to be looked at during the continuation of this meeting on Thursday.

CCHHS Board Listens to Unhappy South Suburban Residents

Cook County Health & Hospitals System Board Meeting

January 30, 2009, 7:30 A.M., Stroger Hospital

In a conciliatory response to residents of south suburban Cook County who had voiced concerns at a Town Meeting the previous Saturday in Markham, and who came to the CCHHS Board meeting to speak, the Board Chairman moved the public comment from its usual position at the close of the meeting to the opening. Seven people spoke for their allotted three minutes each. They identified themselves as representing the National Nurses Organizing Committee, physicians in SEIU, Community Health Care Southland, and as employees, including a pediatrician. Their main concern was with cuts in service at Oak Forest Hospital without community input. They challenged the consultants' report on which decisions were made, most notably, consolidation of all surgical services at Stroger Hospital. Oak Forest hospital was once a long term care facility and more recently changed to an acute care facility to serve residents of the south parts of Cook County. They enumerated the difficulties this decision incurred for patients, e.g., the distance and transportation problems and the need for return visits to the Stroger pharmacy for medications. Also noted were the need for specialists at Oak Forest, the closing of a pain management clinic there and the loss of the trauma center at St. James Hospital.

In its regular business the Board discussed the progress of various committee work.

Human Resources is reviewing personnel policies and job descriptions for senior positions. Strategic Planning recognizes that their work is urgent so that tactical decisions are not made now that impact future choices, and that the planning process is open to staff and the community. "Quality" needs further definition and measures.

The current budget impasse was discussed and the impact of potential cuts on service. They noted possible federal $$ but acknowledged the risks in depending on them in budgeting. Commissioner Sims, whose district includes the south suburbs, spoke about the need for constituents to exert pressure on the County Board to solve the impasse. She suggested that those who came to speak to the CCHHS Board also attend the continuing session of the County Board Finance Committee on February 2 to express their concerns.

The Board carefully reviewed payments, bills, and proposed contracts.

They adjourned to executive session at 10:30 to consider employment contract issues.

--Submitted by Observer Nancy Staunton