Closing a $315 Million Gap

How did we fill a $315 million shortfall?  We made tough choices.  Click on the link below and read about our tough choices.

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Cook County 2012 Budget: How Did We Get Here?

While costs have gone up over time, the total executive recommendation for the 2012 appropriation for Cook County is down $112.5 million across all operating funds, a 3.7% decrease to $2.94 billion from the 2011 budget.

What’s Our Long-term Projection?

Although we’re balanced for now, the long-term outlook is challenging.  Click here to find out more about our long-term budget projections.

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What are FTE’s?

An FTE is a full-time equivalent, or a full-time job.  Solving the shortfall could mean layoffs.  Click on the link below for more on this tough choice.

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The Cook County 2012 Budget: How Did We Get Here?

Taxes (property, sales, other) represent only about half of total revenue

The Cook County 2012 Budget: How Did We Get Here?

Public safety and health and hospitals account for nearly 3/4 of the budget

Looking for 2012 Budget Data?

Click on the link below for 2012 Budget datasets.

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2012 Budget Address

Watch President Preckwinkle’s remarks; or click the button below to view or download a pdf of her remarks.

To view, we suggest you pause the slideshow by pressing the play/pause button at right, just under the feature pane.

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Budget Hearings and Meetings

Click here for a list of budget hearings, meetings, and to sign up to speak at a budget hearing.

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Click here to view or download the Resident’s Guide to the 2012 Budget.

Cook County government provides vital services for 5.2 million residents.  Service areas include health care, public safety, property and taxation, economic development, and general government, finance and administration.

The County is currently faced with a series of hard choices resulting from a combination of cyclical tax revenue declines and structural budget imbalances.  The 2012 preliminary budget projected a $315.2 million shortfall caused by continued revenue declines and expenditure increases, primarily led by personnel costs.

The lingering impacts of the recession and the slow rate of economic recovery have caused years of declining revenues.  To structurally address continued drops in revenue, the County enacted a 1% sales tax increase in 2008.  While this increase steadied the County government, the impact was a burden to taxpayers, businesses, and tourism.  As the County rolls back the sales tax increase, this budget presents structural changes in expenditure reductions and modest increases in revenues.

Less than 1% of the budget solutions are one-time fixes. This budget recommendation supports important structural changes to the public safety system and reduces the Health System subsidy without reducing patient care.  The proposal includes closing $17.5 million in tax loop holes and keeps our commitment to the repeal of the 2008 sales tax increase.

The FY 2012 Executive Budget Recommendation reduces expenditures but continues to make long-term investments in the County through capital projects.  The capital improvement plan and the Motor Fuel Tax revenue distributions guide investments in crucial areas such as highway construction 

The 2012 Executive Budget Recommendation is the result of a collaborative effort.  The President worked with the Board of Commissioners, County elected officials, employees, their union representatives, and residents to find innovative solutions and present a balanced budget. Civic and community leaders helped lend their expertise and best practices, and employees and residents brought their best ideas.

Closing the gap required data-driven management decisions that minimize service impacts.  The S.T.A.R. Performance Management program data provides contexts for budget trade-offs and helps decision makers better understand how directing tax dollars will affect County services.