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Total County Operating Funds

Operating funds are the costs needed to run the County’s day to day operations.  The County’s total operating costs are budgeted in the County’s general fund, the County’s 34 special purpose funds, and grants.

Operating Funds, 2003-2013

The FY2013 Executive Recommendation reflects the President’s priority to continue to reduce expenditures, with the total 2013 Executive Recommendation decreasing $6 million from the adopted 2012 budget across all operating funds.

Operating Funds plus Capital

The County also budgets for capital improvement costs for the construction, maintenance and renovation of buildings, systems, highways, and roadways.  Total FY2013 recommendation with capital improvement costs is $3.3 billion.

Full-Time Equivalents (FTE)

FTE counts have declined since President Preckwinkle took office in December 2010. The FY2013 Budget Recommendation proposes an additional decline of 462 FTE’s from the 2012 appropriation.

Where the Dollars Come From

The FY 2013 Executive Recommendation includes the final rollback of the 1% sales tax increase that was implemented in 2008, which had an estimated $86 million budget impact.

Where the Dollars Go

We provide services in health care, public safety, property and taxation, economic development, and general government finance and administration. Like FY2012, healthcare is the largest area of spend accounting for over 33% of the total budget.

Five Year Fund Changes

The General Fund with a proposed budget of $2.29 billion for FY2013 is made up of three entities, the corporate fund, health fund, and public safety.

Total 2013 Recommendation by Control Area

This chart shows the total FY2013 Executive Recommendation for all operating funds by control officer.

Closing the Gap

We balanced the budget with 99% structural changes consisting of expenditure reductions, better financial management, improved revenue collection and expanding health billing.

Surplus/Deficit Projection

While the County closed its $267.5 million dollar gap for FY2013 through sustainable changes, it is still projecting future gaps due to fully realizing the impact from the sales tax rollback and future bond and interest payments.

 

 
Click here for the Resident’s Guide to the 2013 Budget

The total FY2013 recommended operating budget is $2.9 billion with, $2.29 billion of those expenditures coming from the general fund. The $2.9 billion is a $6 million or 0.2% decrease from the FY2012 adopted appropriation. In addition to the operating budget, the Executive Recommendation also includes $372 million in capital improvement requests for projects relating to construction and major building enhancements.

Based on preliminary projections, the County was facing a $267.5 million shortfall in the general fund for 2013.  The FY 2013 Executive Recommendation of $2.29 billion closes this gap and is the result of a collaborative effort.  The President’s Office worked with the Board of Commissioners, County elected officials, employees, their union representatives, and residents to find innovative solutions and present a balanced budget which invests in projects and programs that will improve services while decreasing costs in the long run.

Strategic budget reductions were incorporated into the FY 2013 Executive Recommendation including reducing headcount, strategic staffing initiatives to reduce overtime, reducing energy costs and usage through implementing “best practices,” consolidating excess office and storage space, and reducing health care costs.  Click here for more information around these reductions.

Total FY 2013 revenue across all funds is $2.9 billion and is estimated for budgetary purposes through trend analysis and comparing historical data.  For major tax-based revenues, economic forecasting models are applied to account for the impact of the national and local economy.

The FY 2013 Executive Recommendation includes enhancements to existing revenue sources, such as expanding Medicaid eligibility for patients served through the County’s Health and Hospital System.  The recommendation also includes proposals to close tax loopholes, incentivize individuals and businesses to purchase from within the County, and revenues that focus on benefitting the public safety and health systems.  Click here to learn more about these new revenue sources and enhancements.

Additionally, the County intends to maximize reimbursements and collections from other sources such as the Tax Intercept Recovery Program and collection on the estates of unknown heirs.