Cook County’s Special $25 Gun Tax Starts April 1

Do you think the new tax will help curb taxpayer expenses tied to gun violence?

  A new $25 tax on every gun purchase in suburban Cook County took effect Monday as part of the larger 2013 county budget approved by county commissioners and County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, various media outlets reported.  The new gun tax is expected to bring in around $600,000 in revenues this year and is aimed at curbing taxpayer expenses tied to gun violence, which Preckwinkle says crowds jails and drives up health care costs, NBC Chicago reported.  Patch wants to know do you think the new tax will help curb taxpayer expenses tied to gun violence? Tell us in the comment section.  Preckwinkle's chief of staff, Kurt Summers says told the Sun-Times that the average health care cost to treat a gunshot victim is $52,000. He added …

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Cook County Repeals Stroger Sales Tax

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle gave a press conference at Abt Electronics in Glenview on Wednesday to announce the one percent drop in Cook County's sales tax rate.

Cook County taxpayers will be spending less money at the cash register from now on. The county sales tax dropped to .75 percent on January 1, effectively repealing the one percent sales tax hike former County Board President Todd Stroger introduced during his tenure. "I kept my promise to residents to eliminate the sales tax hike, the most significant pledge of my 2010 campaign," said current board president Toni Preckwinkle at press conference on Wednesday. "I have worked hard since taking office to ensure that families and businesses can trust county government again." Preckwinkle appeared at Abt Electronics in Glenview on Wednesday, along with Michael Abt, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association…

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Jac Charlier

1:51 pm on Sunday, January 6, 2013

President Preckwinkle is the "real deal" of local politicians. Many more like her, and we would not have the reputation for corruption (nepotism, family lineage=political royalty, etc...) we so sadly live under. Agree or disagree with issue by issue, she is honest and has integrity. Keep going strong!   more ›

Poll: Should Gun Buyers Face 'Violence Tax'?

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is proposing a tax on the purchase of guns and ammunition.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has proposed a 'violence tax' that would be applied to the purchase of guns and ammunition, the Huffington Post reported. The Chicago Sun-Times reported the tax would be meant to generate revenue, curb the number of guns in circulation, and offset the societal cost of gun violence. Preckwinkle's chief of staff, Kurt Summers, told the Sun-Times that the average health care cost to treat a gunshot victim is $52,000. He added that 70 percent gunshot victims do not have health insurance. The tax plan faces opposition by the Illinois State Rifle Association. The organization's excutive director, Richard Pearson told the Huffington Post that the proposal as "just another scheme concocted by the …

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Toni Preckwinkle Is Coming To Town

The Cook County Board President plans to speak at New Trier Township Annual Meeting on April 10.

Cook Co. Budget Would Raise 'Sin' Taxes, Decrease Inmates and Lay Off Employees

Preckwinkle's recommendations seek to close $315 budget gap.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s budget proposal, released today, would increase tax revenue from alcohol and tobacco, reduce the number of inmates in county jails and layoff more than 1,000 employees. Preckwinkle’s budget seeks to close a $315 million budget gap. Her full $2.9 billion budget recommendation can be viewed on the County’s website. Key proposals include: Of particular interest to suburban Cook County residents, Preckwinkle has proposed: Four public hearings on the budget will be held starting Nov. 1 with a hearing at 6:30 p.m. at the Skokie Courthouse. Click here for a full list of upcoming hearings. In the meantime, let us know in the comments section what you think of the budget proposals.

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Projected Cook County Budget Shortfall Will Bring Cuts

Some see northern suburbs feeling little effect. Others are not so sure.

A preliminary projected Cook County budget shortfall of more than $315 million sent County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the commissioners scrambling to find a solution before the first public hearing on the 2012 budget Thursday.  With two thirds of the budget spent on health care and the criminal justice system, the impact on north suburban communities like Glencoe, Winnetka, Kenilworth, Wilmette, Glenview, Northbrook and Des Plaines may be less painful than it will for those who more directly use county services, according to Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D-Evanston).  Preckwinkle, Suffredin, Commissioner Gregg Goslin (R-Glenview) and Commissioner Elizabeth Gorman (R-Orland Park), who represents Des Plaines, all made it clear …

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Casey Cora

11:30 am on Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Thanks for the comments, blurr. Couple things: * The sculpture at Harlem and Ontario in Oak Park was paid for with private funds from the project's developer: http://oakpark.patch.com/articles/attention-artists-30k-could-be-yours-for-oak-park-project * The Roosevelt Road renovation was estimated to cost $8.3 million — $3.95M from the federal government, $3M in state funds and a combined $1.3M …   more ›

Lobbyists Rake in $1 Million in Cook County

13th District Commissioner Larry Suffredin, who represents Winnetka and Glencoe, is one of the most lobbied officials, according to the Cook County Clerk's office.

The Cook County Clerk's online database Lobbyist Online has its benefits. Launched last July, the website allows residents and elected officials to perform online searches of lobbyists, their clients, which officials they've contacted, as well as expenditures and compensation. As of this year you can also download a spreadsheet detailing all self-reported lobbying activity within the county. Yet some say the website is ultimately an honor system and only those lobbyists who value transparency will self-report. According to the clerk's latest report, lobbyists made $1 million trying to influence Cook County officials in the first half of 2011. 13th District Commissioner Larry Suffredin also topped the list of officials lobbied with 44 …

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Cook County Unveils 'Transparency, Accountability' Program

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced county departments will set and track goals through the STAR system.

Cook County government, long criticized for operating with inefficiencies, is moving toward becoming more efficient by measuring the quality of its performance. Toni Preckwinkle, who became county board president last December, says it will reduce costs and streamline services.  On Thursday, Preckwinkle, standing alongside several county elected officials, released the county's first quarterly performance management report.  The purpose of the Set Targets Achieve Results (STAR) report, Preckwinkle said, is to boost accountability and lower the cost of government by setting and tracking goals for each county agency and department. "Performance management gives us the opportunity to change the culture of the County and begin a new chapter in…

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Preckwinkle Talks About Social Justice to New Trier Democrats

County board president gives a state of the county message with a humanistic bent.

Members of the New Trier Democratic Organization came to a forum Sunday at the Winnetka Community House to hear Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle give a state of the county address.  What more than 60 people in the audience heard was not only the condition of county government in Preckwinkle’s first five months in office but a lecture about social justice.  Preckwinkle indicated the primary focus of the county’s budget is operation of Stroger Hospital—formerly Cook County Hospital—and other health care facilities along with the Cook County Jail.  With her first order of business reforming the office of the board president after her election in November, she told the group she has improved fiscal responsibility, instituted …

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County Board President Hopefuls Make Their Cases

With the Nov. 2 election approaching, voters will decide among 3 candidates for Cook County board president.

Three candidates are vying to be the next president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners -- an office that has received considerable coverage in light of recent scandals. On Nov. 2, county voters will decide among Democrat Toni Preckwinkle, Republican Roger Keats and the Green Party's Tom Tresser.  The candidates bring different backgrounds and varying degrees of experience to the race. They also want to focus on a range of issues from cutting wasteful spending to encouraging more regional planning. Each candidate believes they are the best person for the job. Toni Preckwinkle, Democrat An alderwoman for the nearly 20 years, Democratic candidate Toni Preckwinkle  wants to attract talented and competent people to work in county …

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