Stroger: Compromise tax cut won't work
A proffered compromise to raise the Cook County sales tax by three-quarters of a percent and garner about $300 million to eliminate a budget shortfall won't cut it, county board President Todd Stroger said today.
The offer, part of last-minute budget negotiations to avoid a government shutdown, came from Commissioner Larry Suffredin, who's opposed Stroger in the past. The county has until midnight Friday to pass its budget.
"He rejected the offer of help," Suffredin said. "It tells me they want a shutdown."
In exchange for giving Stroger the necessary ninth vote on the 17-member board, Suffredin had asked for support for reforms to the leadership of the county's hospital system.
Stroger shot back that "three-quarters (of a percent) is not going to get us where we need to go. It's not going to get us nine votes."
Stroger warned that if commissioners fail to pass a budget, Cook County government would stop operating. "It will be a travesty," he said.
That impasse left Finance Chairman John Daley promising to bring up the question of a 13 percent across-the-board cut later this afternoon.
"We can't pass an unbalanced budget," he said.
This morning, commissioners chipped away at the estimated shortfall, finding small-scale savings and revenues. But as of noon, that still left a $226 million gap between expenses and revenues.
Strained relations between different factions on the board kept surfacing throughout the day.
Stroger and Commissioner Mike Quigley, a frequent critic, tried to outshout each other over the utility of spending money on visits to a national coalition of counties conference.
"In my opinion, it's more than useless," Quigley said.
Stroger shot back that "undermining the government is what you do."
Another sticking point was whether to institute a freeze on new hirings that would save about $14 million.
The board was scheduled to talk about the sales tax hike tonight but one official wasn't optimistic it would pass.
"That isn't going to happen," Commissioner Tony Peraica said.