Higher health care costs fuel $700M in new spending under Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s $5.9B budget plan
Preckwinkle's proposed budget is balanced without any new taxes, fines or fees, her office said, which is unsurprising in an election year when board members are seeking to retain their seats and Preckwinkle is running for
The budget includes a
A good chunk of that additional sales tax revenue is due not only to a better economy, but also to a 2016 increase in the county sales tax by 1 percentage point. That move was an about-face on the key issue that propelled Preckwinkle into office against
With Preckwinkle running to succeed Mayor
"We have achieved much because we have avoided quick fixes and one-time solutions," Preckwinkle said. "We have done the hard work and heavy lifting to instill sound fiscal discipline and ensure that more than 90 percent of our annual budgetary solutions are structural in nature. And this budget is no different."
Among board members, reaction to Preckwinkle's budget was generally positive, though some argue that her proposal proves last year's pop tax saga was unnecessary.
This year's budget season is expected to be much more low-key than last year's rancorous pop tax debate. In
Under pressure from public backlash fueled by the beverage industry's multimillion-dollar campaign against the tax, the
Commissioner
Commissioner
Echoing Silvestri,
"It's obvious that we don't need to dig into taxpayers' pockets once again," Schneider said.
Commissioner
Outgoing Commissioner
"It raises the question of who to believe, (Preckwinkle) who was unhappy after the repeal of the tax or (Preckwinkle) this year?" Boykin said. "The former wanted you to believe the sky was falling last year. The latter wants you to believe the county is doing so well this year that we can sock (millions) into a pension stabilization fund and grow our full-time employee numbers."
Boykin also continues to push for a revenue forecasting commission that would give the board independent financial analyses, a measure sponsored by outgoing Commissioner
In a roughly 20-minute speech before the board, Preckwinkle highlighted reductions in the county's debt load, touted the work done by the
"Despite having to account for borrowing that predated my administration, we have decreased outstanding debt by more than
The county has an investment grade bond rating, she said, making it "a bit of an anomaly" compared with other large
"We have done all of this by ending the bad practices of the past," she said. "We are not selling bonds to pay settlement costs or other noncapital purposes. And we are buying assets with short useful lives, like computers, with our operating funds instead of using credit."
In her speech, Preckwinkle said the county had to "adjust some ambitious goals and delay some worthy projects" due to the pop tax repeal, and warned that in the future there will be "tough decisions" that need to be made about the county's budget.
"We continue to benefit from a robust consumer economy as measured by our sales tax revenue, but we should not make the mistake of believing the economic trend line will point upward forever," Preckwinkle said. "In fact, most economists believe we are overdue for a recession, and while it would be convenient to avoid talking about this, I did say that my vision for
Turning to the hospitals, Preckwinkle praised the work done by the system's leadership, noting she is "proud to say that our health care system is increasingly one of choice, not simply one of last resort."
Soon, the hospital system will establish dialysis services at
"Through collaborative efforts between the public safety stakeholders, which include the
The jail population is down more than 30 percent, Preckwinkle said, from a daily population that used to hover at roughly 10,000.
As part of the proposed budget, the county would give away more than
She praised the
Preckwinkle also struck a sentimental tone when talking about the positive effect government can have on people's lives.
"One of the true joys of this job is hearing and seeing young men and women thrive after experiencing hardship," Preckwinkle said. "I think at times we forget the good that government can do and that our policies and programs that attack at the grassroots can be life-altering."
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