Cook County budget goes nowhere again

Different day, same dance.

Cook County commissioners met briefly this morning, long enough to again shoot down proposed taxes but not long enough to correspondingly reduce spending.

Finance Committee Chairman John Daley recessed the body until 3 p.m., at which time commissioners may begin cutting.

But tax hikes aren't off the table. Five taxes proposed by Commissioner Roberto Maldonado were "laid on the table" this morning, which means they can be taken back up at any time, said board parliamentarian Burt Odelson.

And a sales tax increase was withdrawn but could be revived upon 24-hour emergency notice, Odelson said.

Commissioners must pass a balanced budget by Friday or risk losing access to the roughly $700 million in property taxes, said the county's chief civil attorney, Pat Driscoll of the state's attorney's office.