No new taxes, more staff for property tax appeals in Cook County budget proposal

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle plans today to unveil a $6.18 billion budget for 2020 that promises no new taxes or layoffs but does eliminate hundreds of vacant health care positions.

The proposed budget also ratchets down earlier expectations of revenue infusions from newly legalized gambling and recreational marijuana, but does find funding for new county employees to work on taxpayer appeals of property assessments and expunging past cannabis convictions.

"Since black and brown people are disproportionately impacted by marijuana arrests, we should do everything in our power to expunge their records and help make them whole," Preckwinkle said at an unveiling of her budget recommendation on Wednesday.

There will be 265 new jobs throughout the county, Tanya Anthony, the county's budget director, said Wednesday.

Sixteen of those positions will be in the county's Board of Review, and 17 will be added to Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi's staff as both offices deal with a 15 percent increase in appeals over the past two years.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and Chief Judge Timothy Evans also will see some new hires.

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