Dept. of Homeland Security & Emergency Management Budget Review

2015 Cook County Budget Department Review: Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

October 29, 2015

 

On Oct. 29th, the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management met with the Finance Committee to discuss its budget. Commissioners Boykin, Tobolski, Morrison, Arroyo, Suffredin, Steele, and Schneider were present. All but Commissioner Schneider asked questions. All welcomed the new Director, Ernest Brown, who has only been on the job for 2 weeks. All stated that they looked forward to working with him in the future. To answer many of his questions, Mr. Brown deferred to his Chief of Staff and his Finance Director.  The purpose of this department is to respond to both natural and man-made disasters.

 

Three STAR goals were stated for this department in the budget book. They include more training courses for first responders, sharing notifications for federal grants with other county departments, and improving the arrival time for emergency personnel. Commissioner Suffredin was the only one to quote STAR goals in his questions, although Commissioner Steele did refer to including more types of personnel in the training courses. Commissioner Steele asked if funeral directors, religious leaders, and hospital workers could be included with the other first responders (police and fire fighters, for example) because they, too, should be trained in keeping communities calm and cared for in an emergency. Mr. Brown seemed to agree that including the community leaders in training was a good idea. Comm. Steele also asked if Mr. Brown had met with Dr. King, the director of the Illinois Medical District, since she works with bio-tech issues and wants to be part of this department’s work. Mr. Brown agreed to meet with her.

     

Commissioner Suffredin spent a good deal of time asking about specific federal grants, since most of this department’s budget is from such grants. He asked about the STAR goal of sharing grants. The Finance Director said that he would share notification for the application for such grants with other CC Departments such as the jail, forest preserves, and the state’s attorneys’ office. He also asked about the STAR goal of improving deployment times for emergency personnel. The budget showed a target last year of 14 minutes, yet the current goal was 60 minutes. The director said that he wanted the target to be “realistic” and that last year’s target was not.

 

Commissioner Tobolski praised the former Director, Michael Masters, for his work in uniting the 134 communities of Cook County in writing preparedness plans for evacuations and emergency planning. He said that without such plans, emergency aid does not come through from the federal government. He asked if we were currently prepared enough for such emergencies.  Mr. Brown assured him that we were and said he appreciated the need for all communities to work together on this.

 

A good deal of time was spent discussing what this department CANNOT do. Grant money from the federal government comes with some very specific stipulations, said the director. So when Commissioner Boykin asked if some money could be spent combating “narco-terrorism” (pipeline of hard drugs coming right into Chicago), the director said that he shares the concern over this problem, but his department cannot use grant money for it. The director did note that he works with the Sheriff’s department on communications and technical projects. Commissioner Suffredin also asked if some money could be used to combat the recent heroin epidemic (especially the overdosing on “bad” heroin). Again the director said that grant money could not be used for this purpose.

 

There was some discussion of the high salaries of some of the employees in this department, especially those who were paid with grant money. The director said that some personnel are highly technical computer experts who are trained to combat cyberterrorism, a real threat. He said that he was competing with the private sector for some of these experts.

 

Director Brown thanked the committee for the opportunity to explain his department’s budget and promised to be much more prepared next year, when he had more than 2 weeks on the job.

Submitted by Jan Goldberg

Proposed 2015 Cook County Executive Budget: October 20, 2014 Department Meetings

Board of Review:  The Board is headed by 3 Commissioners elected by district.  The Board rules on appeals by property owners of assessments from the County Assessor.  The Board touted that it completed its work by the necessary deadline so that 2^nd installment property tax bills could go out on time for the 3^rd year in a row, after many years of being late.  In response to questions from Commissioner Gainer, the Board stated that the rate of appeals that got reductions from the Board was running between 60 and 72%.  Commissioner Gainer asked that the Board provide information by commercial vs. residential on the total number of appeals, the number that were successful, the amount of the reduction in the assessed value.  Commissioner Gainer expressed concern that those not sophisticated enough to appeal are paying higher taxes as a result of all the successful appeals.  Commissioner Daley wanted to know the rate of successful appeals by township.

Assessor:  The proposed budget reduces employee county by 23, but  only a slight reduction in the budget.  The Assessor explained that a number of those positions had only been budgeted for $1 in last year’s budget, so eliminating these positions did not result in a large $ reduction.  The Assessor touted the Fraud Unit which has gone after those trying to take senior or homeowners’ exemptions that they are not entitled to.  So far $5.1 million have been collected and $4.1 million are in the process of being collected by this Unit.

Treasurer:  The Treasurer touted the fact that taxpayers now have 9 payment methods for their property taxes vs. only 2 when she took office in 1998.  The headcount is down 65% since 1998 and the Treasurer’s goal is to get down to 60 people.  Commissioner Gainer raised concerns about the new state law which moves the tax sales earlier and the expected resulting increase in the “sales in error” which could cost the County as much as $30 to $50 million.  Purchasers of properties under the tax sales do have to pay a fee that goes into a fund in the event the property should not have been sold for nonpayment of taxes, but this fund currently is quickly depleted and the County has to pay any remaining costs associated with the sale in error, which includes interest on the payments made by the purchasers.  It was implied that the date of the tax sales was moved up as a result of the strong lobbies of the purchasers in Springfield.

Recorder of Deeds:  The proposed budget for 2015 is down by $680 thousand and 9 FTEs.  A work flow analysis had been done and the Recorder expects to further streamline the processes within the department.  Commissioner Gainer asked how long it will take to digitalize all the files, and the Recorder answered about 10 years.  Commissioner Gainer wondered whether the Recorder needed a special purpose automation fund, like the Treasurer has, but the Budget Director explained that the special purpose GIS fund can be used for this.

Department of Human Rights & Ethics:  The Director reported on the improvements in this department, which was tainted by scandal under the prior Administration, since she took over almost 4 years ago.  There has been a 72% reduction in the backlog of cases in 2014, and the goal is that by the end of 2015, there will be no cases older than one year.  Commissioner Gainer asked about coordination with equivalent offices at the State and Federal levels.  The Director said that the County cross-references to see whether the same case is at the State and/or Federal level and the government offices divide up any duplicates.  The Director stated that there are federal dollars available for handling cases if this department is found to be equivalent to the Federal department.  This is in the process of being reviewed.

Department of Human Resources:  There are 2 remaining issues left to be found in compliance with the Shakman Decree and the Director of HR stated that the County was close to finalizing these.  One new initiative for 2015 is an executive development program.  The Director stated that it is hoped that the major unions’ contracts for 2012-2016 will be resolved by the end of 2014.  Commissioner Suffredin expressed concern whether there was sufficient money in this budget to take care of any resulting increases.  The Budget Director stated that the budget does reflect the expected outcome of contract negotiations.  Commissioner Gainer asked about the provision in the Budget Resolution which allows the Chief Judge to transfer money among the different funds under the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) without having to go back to the Board in the event the JTDC is moved under the Chief Judge’s control from the Federal Court’s. Commissioner Suffredin explained that this is similar to what was done 2 years ago to allow the newly elected Recorder of Deeds to revise the budget submitted by her predecessor. Commissioner Suffredin stressed that in both cases, the total budget could not be increased, just a movement of dollars among funds. Further, any new contracts to employ outside services would have to come before the Board. 

Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management:  Commissioner Gainer asked about the plan for dealing with cyber-security. The Director said that that area is moving from the Bureau of Technology to his Department, and a new team is being built. His Department will be responsible for all systems under the President and for the court system and HHS. However, any systems that are entirely for a particular elected officer will be the responsibility of that elected official. But the Department could propose standards that the Board could enact that would apply to all areas in the County.

Office of the President and Justice Advisor Council (JAC):  The current lower level of the jail population as compared to last year tracks with the increase in the number of judicial orders for electronic monitoring which began at the same time as the President wrote seeking assistance from the Illinois Supreme Court in September of 2013.  Commissioner Sims mentioned that she and Commissioner Fritchey have had problems with the awarding of grants by the JAC.  The JAC is intentionally giving smaller grants to help smaller organizations that may not have the capacity to obtain larger grants, but it was suggested that the RFP (request for proposal) should indicate that.  Commissioner Suffredin asked what was being done to give judges more information so good decisions can be made concerning bail and alternatives to incarceration prior to trial.  The Budget Director pointed to the proposed budget for the Chief Judge which adds 27 positions for electronic monitoring and for the new “2^nd look” program.  In addition, more there is more money for the “no place to stay” program under the Sheriff’s budget for those who otherwise could not go on electronic monitoring because they have no place to stay.

Commissioner Gainer asked about the status of the President’s motion to the Federal Court to take over the Sheriff’s authority to release those in jail due to overcrowding.  The motion is still pending.

Clerk:  The Clerk touted that the special purpose Election budget for 2015 is less than it was 4 years ago, the equivalent year in the election cycle. Voter registration in suburban Cook is up by 30,000 and it looks like more people will be voting by mail based on the increase in applications received thus far.  Commissioner Suffredin asked about online voter registration, that is a new program this year.  Statewide, there were 31,000 online registrations and 3,200 in suburban Cook.  Commissioner Sims asked whether there would be more touch screens, which she is a fan of.  The Clerk is not purchasing more, but is looking for the next step in technology.  E-poll books will be in every suburban precinct, with the paper back-up.  The advantage to the E-poll books of voter registrants is that they have up-to-date information and allow for immediate corrections since it is connected to the online database. 

Chicago Board of Elections:  The head of the Board said that there have been no major advances in voting technology yet to replace the touch screens, but that this Board would work with the Clerk to leverage their purchasing power when the time was right.  The  budget is down quite a bit for 2015 because the City of Chicago covers most of the Board’s activities for this year when the only elections in the city will be for city offices. 

-- submitted by Priscilla Mims

Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting Wednesday, December 4, 2013

One item from the Finance Committee was to move a proposed resolution by Larry Suffredin-- Creating “Accountability Charges” for Violations of the Shakman Consent Decree-- to the litigation committee.  This resolution would deduct an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the total amount assessed for violation of the Shakman Consent Decree from the department’s operating funds and transfer those monies to the Cook County Self Insurance Fund.

One of the new agenda items from the Finance Committee dealt with the authorization of a contract with WestCare Foundation to supply substance abuse and mental health treatment programs for the Department of Corrections.  There was a lot of public testimony against this contract from current employees who fear losing their jobs, impact of wages, and increase in turnover.

Public testimony was given by Sharon Mulruney from Defend the Vote. She expressed concern with party affiliated judges presiding over another party’s voting machines. She stated that this is a clear violation of legal voting systems. The website for Defend the Vote states concerns with election security.

Before the start of the main board meeting, there was a recognition of several local communities and their involvement in Homeland Security. Over 30 people were recognized for their past and current service.

One agenda item dealt with new Time and Attendance Software that will be introduced in the county. Commissioner Daley asked if all separately elected officials would also be part of this new software program. He was told that the software would be converted over to cover all employees. The goal is to move all payroll processing from manual to computerized and improve accuracy and timeliness of payroll processing.

There was a great deal of discussion regarding the annual calendar of the regular cook county board meetings for 2014. Comments from commissioners who felt that there were too few meetings (formerly every 3 weeks in 2013 to 11 total meetings in 2014) included concerns that there may be too few meetings to get the work done and public perception of the how much work the commissioners were doing. Commissioners who supported the smaller schedule commented that the new efficiency of the board meetings allowed for fewer meetings, and Commissioners would be able to get more work done in their own districts.  The resolution approving the shorter meeting agenda was passed 10 to 6 with one commissioner absent.

The highlight of the presentation from John Yonan, Superintendent of the Dept. of Transportation and Highways, was the genuine praise from the commissioners for the work that John has done.  He was praised for his work ethic and ability to work with IDOT, the city, and suburban cook county governments, and coming up with practical solutions.

Submitted by Laura Davis, Palatine Area League of Women Voters

Departmental Review Meetings for 2014 Budget : Monday, Oct. 21

The Cook County Board Finance Committee Budget Hearings continued today with presentations from 9 departments. The hearings began shortly after 9am and concluded for the day at 3:30pm. Commissioners drifted in and out of the hearings throughout the day with Comm. Tobolski, Fritchey, and Goslin not in attendance at all during the day. There was very little discussion of actual budget numbers with nearly all departments being in agreement with the President’s budget recommendation for their office/department. Most presenters did highlight the goals for their offices/departments and their success in meeting them but there was little reference to STAR by name and there was virtually no discussion about the goals from the commissioners.  

Board Of Review – Larry Rogers, Commissioner Board of Review

Mr. Rogers expressed support for the President’s budget recommendation for their department and stated his office’s intent to work towards ensuring that tax bills would again be sent out in a timely manner in 2014. Comm. Sims commended his office for their outreach in educating the public about the tax appeals process. He stated that there was a 64% success rate for appeals this past year but he thought a better measure was access to appeals, although he did not state a number for the actual number of appeals filed. (The number is in the budget book)

Assessor – Joe Berrios, Assessor

Mr. Berrios stated the intent of his office is to establish real value in property assessments and their intent to be better, faster, and more efficient so that tax bills are sent out on time. He stated that there is new state legislation that enables his office to pursue those claiming illegal exemptions and that he has 4 attorneys who are working on this type of fraud. These investigations are now done within his office and processed with an administrative hearing, and not contracted out as was done previously.  Several commissioners commended him for his outreach efforts and Comm. Gainer thanked his office for help with the new Land Bank.

Recorder of Deeds – Karen Yarbrough, Recorder of Deeds

Ms. Yarbrough stated that her office is dedicated to Accuracy, Efficiency, and Assistance. Anyone can come in and request and pay for a copy of a deed. One of their goals is to digitize their records back to 1871. Her office was required to hire a full time Shakman Compliance Administrator which did impact her budget and efforts continue to bring the office into Shakman compliance. Fraud related to filing of deeds is dealt with through the administrative judges. The office needs IT upgrades which are included in the IT budget. The President’s recommendation for this office is some $200,000 less than last year with a decrease of about 15 positions which Ms. Yarbrough highlighted as her efforts to reorganize this office through shifting of positions and efficiency. She also expects her revenues to increase.

Human Resources – Terry Larkin, Deputy Bureau Chief

Ms. Larkin related the achievements of HR to President Preckwinkle’s 4 Pillars – the county goals. Hiring time has been reduced. The process for compliance with Shakman went into effect in August and is now being monitored with the possibility of completion in 2014. A reporting tool is now in use for absenteeism and training is ongoing. The time for processing grievances has been reduced. She stated that case management for FMLA will be outsourced in an effort to better monitor its use since HR does not have the personnel to handle this internally. Negotiations with the unions for the 2012-1016 contracts are in process and the goal is to have them completed by the end of 2014. Comm. Gainer asked if there are allowances in the proposed budget for any COLAs that could result from these negotiations for 2014. Andrea Gibson, Budget Director, indicated that there are allowances included. Discussion ensued about employee sick leave, vacation, holidays, disability etc.  Comm. Gainer asked if a plan could be developed that looked at the cost drivers of benefits and how this relates to union negotiations and future budget considerations. Comm. Schneider asked if there is value in knowing the status of union contract negotiations since collective bargaining is such a complicated process. Lisa Medder, Dir. Of Labor Relations, stated that she would provide a status report with as much information as she can since negotiations are confidential. She also stated that only one of the 2008-2012 contracts remains to be settled. It is awaiting arbitration. There are 95 collective bargaining units with contracts to be negotiated and 80% of county employees are in a union.  The Teleo system is now used for posting and hiring of all positions except for those that are Shakman exempt and those that needed training in this system now have been trained so it is working much better than in the past. Comm. Garcia asked about HR for HHS. HHS does its own HR with the exception of collective bargaining and EEO complaints that are still done through the county HR office. Questions from the commissioners continue to revolve around Shakman compliance and there was a suggestion that perhaps an executive meeting needed to be called for training.

Homeland Security and Emergency Management – Michael Masters, Ex. Dir.

Mr. Masters stated that his department is using best practices as a guide for ensuring the safety and security of the residents of Cook County. They deal with the coordination of emergency preparedness throughout the county including all kinds of emergencies – weather, utility, health, law enforcement preparedness etc. Comm. Daley asked whether some of the grant money could be used for violence initiatives in the county or whether it must be used for  “terrorism”. Mr. Masters said there are restrictions on the use of homeland security grant money but perhaps some money can be used for violence initiatives.

Bureau of Technology – Lydia Murray, Chief Information Officer

Ms Murray just completed her first year in her position and highlighted her achievements that were based on her interactions with persons throughout county government. The internet capacity has been doubled. A catalogue of the services of the department has been published and they use this to measure their performance. Contract management has improved and clarifying contracts will be a goal going forward, Cooperation among the many IT efforts has been a primary goal so that there can be better coordination of resources and communication between systems. A $40m investment in IT throughout the county is budgeted in 2014. She wants to have all project managers to be county managers not vendor managers so there is more control over the projects. 18 project managers will be funded from capital money.

Veterans Assistance Commission – Abundio Zaragoza, Supt.

Mr. Zaragoza stated that his office located in the lower level of the JTDC provides services to veterans. These services include career assistance, housing location, rent and utility assistance, money for food, transportation vouchers, clothing and furniture. He runs the office with 2 part-time employees. This commission has a proposed budget of $300,000 which is an increase of $300,000 from the previous year. Mr. Zaragoza indicated that he has run out of money towards the end of the year but it was unclear whether he was still able to provide services..

Human Rights and Ethics – Ranjit Hakim, Ex. Dir. (in his position since August)

Mr. Hakim stated that he oversees the 11 member Human Rights Board that adjudicates complaints against the Human Rights Ordinance and the Wage Ordinance, and the 5 member Board of Ethics that adjudicates complaints against the Ethics Ordinance. His budget in the 2014 proposed budget is a 7.8% reduction so he stated he must be more responsible within his office. His plans include interagency cooperation with the use of Administrative Hearings when necessary, and not outsourcing adjudications. Focusing on investigation and adjudication and identifying and eliminating the expenses within the department that are not part of their mission. Women’s Issues has been removed from this department. He has implemented a case management system to deal with cases. There was a backlog of 150 Human Rights cases when he arrived and that has been reduced to 138. There are also 14 Ethics cases that are older than a year and he would like to expedite these and cut down on the time it takes for a case. Comm. Simms asked him what his role was in payment of the commissioner’s contingency funds. According to the recently approved Ethics Ordinance the ED has to sign off on any requests for reimbursement. Mr. Hakim stated that his role was to ensure that the requests were in compliance with the criteria as outlined in the ordinance. From further discussion it appears that an amendment to the ordinance is forthcoming as there seems to be a lack of understanding among some about what are political activities as opposed to what are the normal duties of a commissioner.

Board of Commissioners – Matt DeLeon, Secretary of the Board

Mr. Deleon outlined the many changes that have occurred within the office. The Legistar System which unifies agendas and the data base is now in place. All board and committee meetings are now live streamed and archived. The budget hearings are online. The commissioners will all be receiving ipads within the next week on which they will have the necessary documents for their meetings in an effort to go paperless. After several minutes of discussion of how to use the ipads and storing information in the “cloud” the meeting was recessed at 3:30pm

Submitted by Cynthia Schilsky, observer