NEW ITEMS

 

Meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners

County Board Room, County Building

Tuesday, April 20, 2004, 10:00 A.M.

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PROPOSED RESOLUTION

ITEM #1

 

Submitting a Proposed Resolution sponsored by

 

MIKE QUIGLEY, County Commissioner

 

PROPOSED RESOLUTION

 

WHEREAS, the present Cook County property assessment and taxation system is spread out over four different offices:  Assessor, Auditor, Clerk and Treasurer; and

 

WHEREAS, this division of authority means that no single official or office is accountable for the overall functioning of the system; and

 

WHEREAS, under the current system many taxpayers often do not know where to turn for assistance; and

 

WHEREAS, confusion surrounding the property assessment and tax system has led to situations in  which taxpayers, through no fault of their own, face the loss of their property or the accumulation of    substantial fines; and

 

WHEREAS, under the existing structure many property tax records must be kept in several offices simultaneously and updates to data are not always shared between offices; and

 

WHEREAS, consolidation of property tax functions under one office would create greater efficiency in staffing and recordkeeping, saving money on both personnel and information systems and reducing the amount of time needed to process data; and

 

WHEREAS, a single property tax administration office has been supported by interested citizens and civic groups for nearly a century, with the earliest known expression of such support coming from the Bureau of Public Efficiency in 1917; and

 

WHEREAS, two of the County’s own advisory panels, the Home Rule Study Commission in 1976 and the Revenue Study Committee in 1988, have proposed a single office for property tax administration; and

 

WHEREAS, other major counties have begun streamlining their property tax infrastructure in pursuit of greater accountability and more efficient operations; and

 

WHEREAS, Pierce County, Washington, combined the offices of assessor and treasurer in 1981; and

 

WHEREAS, Lancaster County, Nebraska, merged the register of deeds’ and assessor’s offices in  January 2003; and

 

WHEREAS, Summit County, Ohio, created a new County Fiscal Officer in 2002 by merging the treasurer’s and auditor’s offices; and

 

WHEREAS, Cook County, by eliminating unnecessary division of labor and vesting property tax administration in a single official, will become a leader in government innovation and efficiency; and

 

WHEREAS, Illinois Senate Bill 717 will create the elected office of Cook County Tax Administrator to assume the property-tax-related functions of the Cook County Assessor, Treasurer, Clerk and Auditor, and will eliminate the office of Cook County Assessor, beginning with the 2006 election; and

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County urges the Illinois General Assembly to pass Senate Bill 717 creating a Cook County Office of Tax Administration and, upon its passage, calls upon the Governor to sign the bill into law.

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Commissioner Quigley, seconded by Commissioner Hansen, moved to suspend the rules so that this matter may be considered.  The motion carried unanimously.

 

Commissioner Quigley, seconded by Commissioner Silvestri, moved that the Proposed Resolution be referred to the Committee on Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations.  (Comm. No. 265214).  The motion carried unanimously.

PUBLIC TESTIMONY

ITEM #2

 

Pursuant to Rule 4-30, Todd Edmonds, addressed the President and Members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners.  Mr. Edmonds spoke regarding access to the Office of the Inspector General.

 

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ITEM #3

 

Pursuant to Rule 4-30, Maurice Perkins, President, Inner City Youth Foundation, addressed the President and Members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners.  Mr. Perkins spoke regarding overcrowding at the Day Reporting Center.

 

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ITEM #4

 

Pursuant to Rule 4-30, Charles Edward Bey, addressed the President and Members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners.  Mr. Bey spoke regarding overcrowding at the Day Reporting Center.

 

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ITEM #5

 

Pursuant to Rule 4-30, George Blakemore, addressed the President and Members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners.  Mr. Blakemore spoke concerning several issues regarding Cook County.