Cook Co. health 'billion-dollar budget' remains a mystery

Three days after the Cook County Health and Hospitals System publicly debated and passed a "billion-dollar budget," it continued Monday to refuse to present the document to the public.

The failure to produce the document also comes three days after Cook County Chief Financial Officer Donna Dunnings promised a reporter the document would be produced Monday.

"Whatever's going on, it will be corrected," vowed Dunnings on Friday.

But Monday, Laura Lechowicz Felicione, special counsel to Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, said she still doesn't have the document and couldn't get it Monday afternoon.

The inability to find a copy of a document, known to be in the possession of at least 13 different hospital board members or administrators, comes after a litany of finger-pointing by both hospital board and county administrators:

• Sept. 26: Hospitals finance chair David Carvalho tells a reporter he'll call him about getting him a copy of the budget.

• Oct. 2: Carvalho fails to return calls from reporter.

• Oct. 3: 7:30 a.m.: Carvalho promises budget will be released after vote;

• Oct. 3, about 10 a.m.: vote occurs, budget is not released.

• Oct. 3, about noon: State's Attorney's Office says Felicione is the hospitals' Freedom of information Officer. Hospitals interim CEO David Small says the budget is a "draft," refers FOIA question to assistant state's attorney.

• Oct. 3, about 2 p.m.: Illinois Attorney General's Office says document is public and should be released. Dunnings promises to look into it.

• Oct. 3, about 5 p.m.: Dunnings acknowledges document is public, requests FOIA be faxed to her and Felicione and promises budget will be released Monday. Reporter faxes requested FOIAs.

• Oct. 6, about noon: Felicione says she is trying to contact hospital administrators to secure the document.

• Oct. 6, about 5 p.m.: Felicione says Small, not her, is the hospital's FOIA officer; says she has contacted Small who is getting her the documents but they, save a 2-page cover memo to the budget, will not be available until Tuesday.

•Oct. 6, about 6 p.m. Two-page cover memo to budget is released.