Preckwinkle says layoffs are coming

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle says about 1,000 layoffs will be a part of a new budget, along with another small cut in the county’s sales tax.

Although Preckwinkle won’t unveil her 2012 budget until Tuesday, in a speech Thursday she revealed some components designed to bridge a projected $315 million shortfall.

About $53 million of the shortfall is due to Preckwinkle’s decision to roll back a quarter-cent of the 1 percentage point sales tax hike the county board passed in 2008.

Preckwinkle says the projected layoffs are in part due to the county’s unions rejecting an offer of eight unpaid days off next year to save 500 jobs.

She says a large number of the jobs eliminated will occur in her administration and the county’s health system.