Preparing for Stroger meeting requires meetings over details

Has Cook County become too large to be managed efficiently and effectively?

With the county getting additional funds and an additional 1,200 employees, what increases in services can residents expect to see?

Palatine officials have a bunch of questions just like those and they hope Cook County Board President Todd Stroger will talk straight in answering them at a town hall meeting 7 p.m. Wednesday at Harper College.

While the somewhat contentious details of how the meeting will be conducted are still getting hammered out, Stroger will discuss what the county does and explain the reasons behind the 1-percentage-point sales tax hike.

Palatine submitted a long list of probing questions to him weeks ago.

Mayor Rita Mullins is most interested in why more than $400 million in new funds are needed to plug a $235 million hole. She also wants to know what extra services residents can expect to see, if any.

The purpose of the meeting is not to ambush Stroger, Mullins said. It's also not about secession, though getting through the night without touching on the hot button issue of the Northwest suburbs breaking away from Cook County is unlikely.

"Depending on what comes out of this meeting, yes, looking into secession is an option," Mullins said. "But I'm hoping we'll have a better appreciation for each other and how we can cooperate more to get our money's worth."

Roosevelt University professor Paul Green will serve as moderator for the evening, which will wrap up with Stroger taking questions from the audience.

The theater in the Wojcik Conference Center holds about 250 people. Two overflow rooms televising the meeting live can hold 90 people each if needed.

All sides -- Stroger aides, the village, Harper and even police -- met Monday at the college to discuss logistics.

Everyone walked away with a game plan, but not before some heated debate.

Under its attorney's advice, Palatine is treating the gathering as a formal council meeting. Officials wanted to make sure they're complying with the state's open meetings act with the mayor and councilmen all attending.

That will involve calling the meeting to order, recessing for the town hall session and reconvening to adjourn.

Mullins said the original letter proposing the public chat was clear and upfront, but Stroger's camp said he wasn't expecting to attend a village council meeting.

"We thought this was going to be a community meeting," said Stroger spokeswoman Ibis Antongiorgi.

It's unclear whether state Sen. Matt Murphy and state Rep. Suzie Bassi will be allowed to ask questions.

"It was my understanding that there'd be a dialogue … a local focus from village officials as well as a regional look at things we could do with the county," Murphy said.

The county thought differently.

"Our understanding was it would be a Q and A with the audience," said Antongiorgi. "We're working on the details."

Murphy and Bassi said the point may be moot -- despite assurances from Stroger's office, they're not convinced he'll show.

"I feel he's looking for an excuse not to come and there being a condition of a council meeting may open a window," Murphy said.

Some familiar Northwest suburban faces will be on hand, if only for curiosity's sake. The village presidents from Wheeling, Hanover Park and Bartlett plan to attend, though their towns haven't taken positions on seceding.

The Rolling Meadows City Council earlier this month approved a resolution against the tax increase and several trustees voiced support for seceding. Mayor Ken Nelson has been opposing the increase in letters to state politicians.

Absent, though, will be representatives from Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village and Schaumburg, which each see the idea of breaking away as nonsensical.

"We always want to keep an open mind, but at this time it would be too complicated, time consuming and certainly costly," Arlington Heights Village President Arlene Mulder said.