2012 Budget Passed ON TIME

The Cook County Board convened on November 18, 2011, following the final meeting of the Board's Finance Committee dealing with the 2012 budget, and voted 16 to 1 to pass the budget, as amended. Thus, the County Board completed its work during business hours (around 4:30 pm) and prior to the start of the fiscal year, which begins December 1.

The Cook County web site touts that this is the earliest a budget has been passed since 1995.

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Cook County Management Reports Available Online

In order to increase transparency and generate citizen input, Cook County President Preckwinkle's administration is publishing quarterly STAR (for Set Targets*Achieve Results) reports at www.cookcountyil.gov. Share your opinions! Check out and comment on the goals, measurements, and results so far.

League Study of Cook County Government's Special Purpose Funds

After completing a study of the Special Purpose Funds within Cook County Government's 2010 budget, the LWVCC Study Committee has a number of concerns as to whether the Cook County Board of Commissioners exercises sufficient oversight over these funds. These concerns are listed in a 4-page Final Report, which should be viewed along with a chart detailing the 30 Special Purpose Funds. A brief summary (as well as the documents) may be accessed here.