Cook County Commissioners on Monday approved almost all of the tax and fee increases requested by County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, paving the way for passage of her $2.9 billion budget plan later this week.
The board’s Finance Committee, which includes all 17 commissioners, approved 13 of 15 different tax and fee increases requested by the president, including a controversial increase on the county’s alcohol tax, to help close an estimated $315 million shortfall for the budget year that begins Dec. 1. Among the other increases are an expansion of the tobacco tax to include tobacco products other than cigarettes and an increase in the “use tax” on the sale of titled property such as boats and vehicles.
Of the $52 million in tax and fee increases originally sought by Preckwinkle in her executive budget recommendation, commissioners rejected about $9.6 million.
About half of that came from Preckwinkle agreeing earlier this month to table a proposal to charge residents of unincorporated Cook County more for the police services they receive through the County Sheriff’s Office, which was expected to raise $5.5 million in revenues. Preckwinkle said she remains committed to the idea in concept, but has convened a task force to study the issue after resistance from residents and some commissioners.
On Monday, commissioners also deferred two other increases, one a tax on “automatic amusement devices” including cash-operated jukeboxes and video poker machines expected to raise $1.3 million and a doubling of the “wheel tax,” an annual fee on vehicles for residents of unincorporated Cook County, projected to raise $1.5 million. Either tax increase could be revisited on Friday, when the commissioners are scheduled to vote on the budget.
Commissioners also amended a proposal to charge for parking at county courthouses to exempt jurors, witnesses, law enforcement personnel called to testify, and those going to a courthouse to participate in early voting.
Preckwinkle claimed an early victory Monday, saying the “modest revenue increases… will allow us to make significant investments in public health, public safety and suburban infrastructure.”
“The tough choices made today by the County Board will allow us to move forward with our plans to transform County government and improve services for all residents,” she said.
Still to be determined is how many county employees will be laid off. Preckwinkle has said that unless unions agree to eight unpaid days off next year, about 1,000 county employees will lose their jobs to save about $30 million. If the unions agree to the concessions, about 500 county employees would still be laid off.
In the last round of budget negotiations, Preckwinkle reached a last-minute agreement with many of the unions that called for workers to take 10 unpaid days off in exchange for fewer layoffs. But this year, the unions initially rejected Preckwinkle’s proposal. Preckwinkle spokesman Owen Kilmer said no agreements had been reached as of Monday afternoon.