Cook County Annual Performance Report

Cook County Annual

Performance Report

for Fiscal Year 2022

Thank you to our partners throughout Cook County for your hard work in creating this report.

We could not have successfully launched this report without your active participation and support.

Toni Preckwinkle

Cook County Board President

Vacant

Commissioner, 1

District

Dennis Deer

Commissioner, 2

District

Bill Lowry

Commissioner, 3

District

Stanley Moore

Commissioner, 4

District

Monica Gordon

Commissioner, 5

District

Donna Miller

Commissioner, 6

District

Alma E. Anaya

Commissioner, 7

District

Anthony Quezada

Commissioner, 8

District

Maggie Trevor

Commissioner, 9

District

Bridget Gainer

Commissioner, 10

District

John P. Daley

Commissioner, 11

District

Bridget Degnen

Commissioner, 12

District

Josina Morita

Commissioner, 13

District

Scott R. Britton

Commissioner, 14

District

Kevin B. Morrison

Commissioner, 15

District

Frank Aguilar

Commissioner, 16

District

Sean M. Morrison

Commissioner, 17

District

Letter from the President 02

Introduction 03

Offices Under the President 07

Public Health 20

Public Safety

Clerk of the Circuit Court 24

Public Defender 26

Sheriff 29

State’s Attorney 33

Chief Judge 43

Property and Taxation

Assessor 47

Board of Review 53

County Clerk 56

Treasurer 62

Economic Development

Land Bank 64

Other

OIIG 67

Public Administrator 68

Org Chart 69

PERFORMANCE BASED MANAGEMENT AND BUDGETING ANNUAL REPORT FY2019

Table of Contents

PERFORMANCE BASED MANAGEMENT AND BUDGETING ANNUAL REPORT FY2019

Letter from the President

To the Residents of Cook County:

Cook County government plays a pivotal role in serving and supporting the needs

of the 5.1 million residents of Cook County. We provide healthcare to all regardless

of the ability to pay, build and maintain critical infrastructure, administer property

taxes, advance community and economic development and oversee the criminal

justice system. We also care for 70,000 acres of open lands through the Forest

Preserves of Cook County and provide affordable housing through the Housing

Authority of Cook County and the Cook County Landbank Authority. In 2011, Cook

County adopted the Performance Based Management and Budgeting Ordinance in

an effort to increase transparency and accountability and use data to drive decision-

making. We created a Performance Management Office to oversee the work across

all separately elected offices and sister agencies and track and report metrics on an

annual basis.

This report is organized by the Office of Research, Operations and Innovation

(ROI) to foster continuous improvement in Cook County Government. The report

highlights achievements across all offices, and the data that we use to measure our success. We have also included

goals and initiatives for 2023 that we look forward to reporting in our next Annual Report.

As part of our effort to be a leader in prudent fiscal stewardship and provide excellent public service, Cook County

Government strives year over year to improve efficiencies and save taxpayer dollars while continuously improving

services and streamlining processes.

While 2022 was the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced the first signs of reprieve. Businesses

opened again, vaccinations and treatments decreased the severity of COVID infections, mask mandates were lifted

and we began the journey of recovery together. The work to get us past the incredibly challenging last few years

is highlighted in this Annual Performance Report. It also showcases the innovative solutions that guide us toward a

more sustainable, equitable road to recovery with additional support from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Across every bureau and agency, the dedicated public servants of Cook County administered relief programs,

provided direct aid and ensured our residents, businesses and economy could survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many of our 2023 goals reflect the continued work in these areas, and the ongoing commitment to equity,

engagement and excellence in all that we do.

Sincerely,

Toni Preckwinkle

President Cook County Board of Commissioners

Performance Management: The Purpose of this Report

Performance management is a process that organizations use to meet their goals effectively and efficiently. A key

component of that process is the use of data to monitor progress. In Cook County, all Offices Under the President

(OUP) engage with the Office of Research, Operations and Innovation (ROI) to assess and monitor performance

and operations improvement through the establishment of key performance indicators (KPIs), management of the

performance data platform and the facilitation of periodic performance discussions.

All separately elected offices are responsible for operating their own performance management programs and for

publishing performance data annually, which can be accessed online on the

Cook County Open Data Portal

. The

State’s Attorney’s Office

and

Assessor’s Office

also have open data portals.

The purpose of this report is to share with the public and the Cook County Board of Commissioners some of the

operational achievements of all Cook County offices and sister agencies throughout FY2022 and preview upcoming

initiatives for FY2023. This report acts as a key part of the Cook County performance management framework by

compiling key data points for each office that illustrate those achievements and initiatives, which are published in an

accompanying public dataset.

COVID-19 Pandemic

Cook County continued its post-pandemic recovery efforts in FY2022, in large part thanks to the $1 billion in funding

received through ARPA. The County underwent a comprehensive planning process to determine how to best

allocate the funds to optimize impact. Following this rigorous planning process, FY2022 saw the launch of a range

of ambitious new programs and initiatives which will be closely tracked with publicly available metrics. These include

the Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot, the largest pilot in the country, and the Medical Debt Relief Initiative, the first

of its kind led by a local government.

PERFORMANCE BASED MANAGEMENT AND BUDGETING ANNUAL REPORT FY2019

Introduction

Cook County Overview

COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Cook County is governed by the County Board President,

seventeen Board Commissioners each representing a district

and ten additional Cook County Government offices. Seven

of these offices are under the control of an independently

elected official: the Assessor, the three Board of Review

Commissioners, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, the County

Clerk, the Sheriff, the State’s Attorney and the Treasurer.

The Chief Judge of the Circuit Court is elected by and from

the Circuit Court Judges. The Chairman of the Board of Election Commissioners

is elected by and from the three Board of Election Commissioners and then

appointed by the Circuit Court. The Public Administrator is appointed by the

Governor of Illinois.

Under the Illinois Constitution, Cook County is a home rule unit of

government and, except as limited by State law, may exercise any power

and perform any function relating to its government and affairs. The

President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners serves as the Chief

Executive Officer of Cook County and presents an annual balanced budget to

the Board of Commissioners, provides leadership on key policy issues facing the

County and oversees the Offices Under the President (OUP). The President has the

power to veto County Board resolutions and ordinances. The County Board requires a two-

thirds vote to override a Presidential veto.

Cook County Government

COUNTY PROFILE

An Act of the Illinois General Assembly created

Cook County on January 15, 1831. The new

County was named after Daniel Pope Cook, Illinois’

second congressman and first attorney general.

The Fort Dearborn settlement at the mouth of the

Chicago River became the new county’s seat.

Cook County, Illinois is the Midwest’s cultural and

economic center. As the second most populous

county in the United States, Cook County is

home to 5.1 million residents, comprising 59%

of Illinois’ total population. Cook County encompasses the 2.7 million residents of the City of Chicago, the third

largest city in the United States. Cook County is racially and ethnically diverse, with growing Latine and Asian

American populations. In the 2020 Census, African Americans made up 22.5% of the Cook County population,

Asian Americans 7.7% and non-Hispanic white individuals 40.4%. 26.2% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latine

of any race. The remainder of the population self-identify as American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific

Islander (other race) or multiracial. Cook County became more racially diverse from 2010 to 2020, with notable

increases in the Latine (11% increase) and Asian American (28% increase) population. Although Cook County is

Cook County Government

densely populated, the Cook County Forest Preserve District protects over 70,000 acres of natural land or 11% of

Cook County.

Households in Cook County have a median annual income of $69,429, which is more than the national median

annual income of $65,712. About 66% of the population older than 16 is employed, and the most common

industries are educational services, health care and social assistance; professional, scientific, management and

technical services and manufacturing (US Census 2019 ACS estimate).

Functions of Cook County

HEALTHCARE

Cook County provides public healthcare access and services to its

residents, regardless of an individual’s ability to pay or documentation

status. Through its network of hospitals, clinics and health centers, Cook

County Health (CCH) cares for more than 300,000 patients each year

and is one of the largest public health systems in the country. CCH offers

a broad range of services from specialty and primary care to emergency,

acute, outpatient, rehabilitative, long-term and preventative care. Cook

County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) serves 2.5 million residents in 124

municipalities within suburban Cook County through effective and efficient disease

prevention and health promotion programs.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Cook County maintains and operates the Circuit Court of Cook County, the second largest unified court system in

the United States, which hears civil, criminal and administrative cases. The Circuit Court is overseen by the Office of

the Chief Judge and administrated by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The Cook County Jail, overseen by the Sheriff,

is one of the largest single-site pretrial detention facilities in the United States. The Juvenile Temporary Detention

Center, overseen by the Office of the Chief Judge, is the first and largest juvenile detention facility in the country.

The State’s Attorney prosecutes and litigates for Cook County Government, and the Public Defender provides court

representation for indigent defendants. The Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional

Security coordinates countywide emergency and disaster preparedness planning and assists jurisdictions in

recovering from disaster. The Sheriff’s Police conduct investigations, make arrests and provide other police services

to unincorporated Cook County, as well as coordinate with municipal police forces throughout the County.

PROPERTY AND TAXATION

Cook County administers the second largest property taxation system in the United States. There are 1.8 million

taxable parcels of land in Cook County, with an annual collection of over $16.1 billion dollars. Cook County assesses

one third of the region each year—rotating among the northern suburbs, the southern suburbs, and the City of

Chicago—and determines the value of each property through a mass appraisal system rather than on an individual

basis. Cook County sends bills to property owners twice a year.

How does it work?

The Assessor assesses all real estate throughout the County and establishes a fair market value for

each property.

The Board of Review accepts appeals and decides on changes to a property’s assessment,

classification or exemptions.

The County Clerk determines the tax rates based on the levy ordinances passed by taxing agencies

and applies the rates to the assessments received from the Assessor to determine the amount of

property tax a property owner owes.

The Treasurer mails out property tax bills and collects the money.

The Treasurer distributes the money to over 2,200 local government agencies including school

districts, villages, cities, townships, parks and forest preserves, libraries, public health and safety

agencies.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Cook County pursues inclusive economic and

community growth by supporting residents, growing

businesses, attracting investment and nurturing talent.

The Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) and the

Cook County Land Bank were both founded to promote

economic development, supporting affordable housing

and property redevelopment respectively. The Chicago

Cook Workforce Partnership works jointly with Cook

County and the City of Chicago to provide workforce

development services and operate federally funded

American Job Centers throughout the County.

Cook County Government

Offices Under the President

Toni Preckwinkle is the 35th President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, an office she has held since

2010. President Preckwinkle oversees the Offices Under the President (OUP) and is charged with presenting a

balanced budget to the Board of Commissioners each year. In 2018, President Preckwinkle delivered the

Cook

County Policy Roadmap: Five-Year Strategic Plan for Offices Under the President

— OUP’s first comprehensive,

policy-driven strategic plan since the administration’s 2011 transition plan. The Policy Roadmap outlines goals and

objectives in six policy priorities: health and wellness, economic development, criminal justice, environment and

sustainability, public infrastructure and good government. Centered on the values of equity, engagement and

excellence, OUP developed the Policy Roadmap with direct input and participation from residents as well as its Cook

County sister agencies and thought partners across policy areas and communities.

Healthy Communities (Health and Wellness)

Goal: Improve the physical, mental and social wellbeing of Cook County residents and communities.

In FY2022, Cook County enhanced outreach into the community, furthering the County’s Healthy Communities goals

by funding organizations closest to the people the County seeks to serve.

Building Healthy Communities (BHC) COVID-19 Response, Recovery and Resiliency Grants

Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) and Cook County Health (CCH) jointly awarded $8.4 million

in funding to 52 community-based organizations (39 in the suburbs through CCDPH, 13 in the City of Chicago

through CCH) through the BHC COVID-19 Response, Recovery and Resiliency Grant Program. Grants were

provided to support collaborative efforts to advance community solutions for racial and health equity, focusing on

the communities most impacted by COVID-19. CCDPH will grant another $14 million over four years to address

pandemic-related increases in rates of depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions, prioritizing suburban

communities at higher risk. The grant application period closed in early December with funding awards being

announced in January.

Good Food Purchase Program (GFPP) Microgrant Program

In FY2022, there was a focus on healthy, locally sourced emergency meal distribution to suburban Cook County

communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The GFPP created a mechanism to fund organizations to

grow this program.

• Microgrants (up to $25,000 per grant) were distributed to suburban Cook County small and mid-sized food

businesses, food producers and food cooperatives through a request for proposal process.

• Local farms and food businesses/social enterprises that are owned/controlled and operated by Black,

Indigenous, Latine and People of Color (BIPOC) were encouraged to apply for funding.

• Eligibility: Any Cook County-based business was eligible for this microgrant if their project proposed providing

emergency food assistance to suburban Cook County populations in priority communities that have been most

impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Grant Project Period: August 2022 to May 2023 (Proposed Extension to October 2023)

Offices Under the President

Overview of the Six Microgrant Awardees

Leveraging the CDC National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities grant funding, Cook County

Department of Public Health, in partnership with the Chicago Food Policy Action Council and the Cook County

Good Food Task Force, awarded a total of $125,000 to six local organizations to expand access to healthy, locally

sourced emergency meals to food insecure communities in suburban Cook County. Each awarded organization has

committed to distributing at least 2,000 healthy emergency meals to suburban Cook County communities impacted

by COVID-19 during the project period. The following organizations have been awarded a microgrant for their

emergency meal projects:

• Grace United Church of Christ/It Takes A Village Farm - $25,000

• Food Hero L3C - $25,000

• Health Policy Institute - $25,000

• Centro de Trabajadores Unidos - $25,000

• Street Vendors Association of Chicago - $12,500

• Roots, Eggs, and Greens - $12,500

• Funding: Award amounts were based on evaluated capacity/budget

• Organization Identification: Awardees identified themselves as food grower/

farmer, non-profit caterer, social enterprise, food service provider, worker or

consumer cooperative or food pantry

• Targeted Communities: Four organizations located in suburban Cook County

and two in the City of Chicago

Provident Hospital - Ambulance Runs and ICU Improvements

The Emergency Department driveway was repaired, and space was added for the support of ambulance crews. The

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse station and the ICU patient rooms received needed upgrades, and new payment

kiosks and drive-through pay stations were added in the parking garage for ease of access and payment.

Offices Under the President

Vital Communities (Economic Development)

Goal: Pursue inclusive economic and community growth by supporting residents, growing businesses,

attracting investment and nurturing talent.

In FY2022 the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development (BED) began implementing programs, described

ARPA at a Glance

, to help businesses and residents thrive through the continuing impact of COVID and support

an equitable recovery over the long term. The bureau launched 14 programs with combined ARPA and corporate

funding, representing an

investment of $224 million

in this and coming years.

BED also supported design

and partnership building for

upcoming FY2023 program

launches. Highlights of the year

include launching the

Cook

County Promise Guaranteed

Income Pilot

(the nation’s

largest) and the

Small Business

Source

. Further, the Emergency

Rental Assistance Program

distributed $60.9 million to close

to 8,800 residents and won an

Award of Excellence

from the

National Association for County

Community and Economic

Development. Due to the

program’s success, it attracted an

additional $8 million in federal

funds and $15 million in state

funds. These programs help

businesses stay open, workers

stay employed and families stay

housed while meeting their basic

needs.

Aligning with the County’s

equity goals, many of these

programs focus assistance to

residents and businesses or

communities that have been

historically left behind and were

hardest hit by the pandemic. For

example, the County’s support

of the Southland Development

Authority gave them the ability

to provide assistance to 367

2022 ARPA Program Highlights

Small

Business

5,012 businesses served with 1:1 business advising and/or

events

Businesses served are:

• 95% microbusinesses (<5 emps)

• 67% minority-owned

• 57% woman-owned

• 74% suburban Cook County

~22,000 applications received for the small grant program

Sectors 104 projects approved to modernize and adapt local

manufacturing businesses

Workforce • 230 youth and adults served by Conservation Corps

training programs

• 164 youth completed a summer internship, 45 adults in

a sector-based internship

Household

& Social

Services

Promise Pilot

• > 70 outreach or application assistance events

• > 5,000 residents provided with application assistance

• ~233,000 applications received

• Cook County Legal Aid for Housing & Debt

• 26,406 legal consultations via the hotline

• 10,550 referrals to legal aid partners

• average 7,500 calls per month

Housing

• 1,808 residents received 209,000 shelter nights

Offices Under the President

businesses. The Cook County Promise Program (about 233,000 applications for 3,250 participant spots) conducted

outreach and structured selection processes to ensure that their resources were distributed to prioritize traditionally

under-resourced communities throughout the County.

Beyond ARPA, a 2-1-1 system is being built in partnership with United Way, the County and the City of Chicago. This

comprehensive resource will help residents identify and access assistance programs. At the same time, BED also

maintained and advanced its core portfolio of programs. These programs support residents through affordable

housing with 389 new housing units, critical social services and local infrastructure investments of $6.9 million

awarded to support 32 capital improvement projects in suburban Cook County.

In FY2022, BED also continued to foster business retention and expansion through 56 tax incentives that leveraged

over $134.8 million in private investment, completing two projects utilizing the Cook County Commercial Property

Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program which facilitates investments in sustainability.

Offices Under the President

Safe and Thriving Communities (Criminal Justice)

Goal: To create safe communities and an equitable and fair justice system for all residents.

In FY2022, the Justice Advisory Council (JAC) continued its oversight of the County’s investment in community-

based services focused on violence prevention and reduction, recidivism and restorative justice. The JAC ended the

year having administered an investment of over $75 million in 3-year Gun Violence Prevention Grants through ARPA

as well as approximately $50 million in cumulative investment of County funds in violence prevention, recidivism

reduction, restorative justice and other grant categories.

This increasingly robust service array in

support of people and communities most

impacted by crime, violence or contact

with the justice system complements

Cook County’s continued participation

in the “Safety and Justice Challenge,” a

reform initiative funded since 2015 by the

MacArthur Foundation to reduce reliance

on courts and jails and address their

disparate impact on historically disinvested

communities. This work has continued

alongside efforts towards implementing the

Pre-Trial Fairness Act, a statutory change that will eliminate the use of monetary bond and put in place a robust new

pre-trial release decision-making framework dedicated to making public safety and flight risk the chief determiners

of pre-trial detention rather than access to money.

The JAC enters FY2023 committed to substantially expanding its service portfolio, particularly to address gun

violence, domestic violence and victim services, by leveraging an unprecedented infusion of federal funding to aid

communities most impacted during the global pandemic.

In FY2022, the Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security (EMRS) made significant

progress in upgrading and maintaining emergency equipment to be utilized by suburban municipal partners.

Moreover, EMRS fulfilled over 200 managed physical assets or direct investments. The department continues to

provide physical assets and/or direct investments such as personal protective equipment, message boards, light

towers and use of a unified command post. This investment allowed EMRS to fulfill 604 resource requests from

partners. The most requested assets were

light towers and message boards which

were used at both emergency incidents as

well as local special events.

EMRS works diligently to provide quality

resources and information to Cook County

residents. The EMRS Preparedness

Section actively collaborates with several

municipal Community Emergency Response

Teams (CERT) to build robust volunteer

engagement and retention.

Offices Under the President

The CERT program was nationally adopted in 1993 and is now a valuable way of teaching residents to take care of

themselves, their families, neighbors and their community during an emergency or disaster situation. Cook County

supports the development of local CERTs. In FY2022, EMRS provided 11 CERTs with equipment resources, training

and civic engagement opportunities that reached over 5,000 residents with outreach efforts.

Sustainable Communities (Environment & Sustainability)

Goal: Support healthy, resilient communities that thrive economically, socially and environmentally.

Cook County has made significant strides toward the goals outlined in its Clean Energy Plan which includes a

45% reduction in carbon emissions, 100% renewable electricity usage by 2030 and carbon neutrality for County-

owned facilities by 2050. As of FY2021, Cook County had already met the first goal by reducing carbon emissions

from its buildings by 45%. A portion of this achievement is a result of the committed effort of the Bureau of

Asset Management and Department of Facilities Management introducing programs such as “STIC With It” that

encourages County building engineers to SEE where energy is used, use TOOLS to IMPLEMENT changes and

CREATE a lasting plan. Behavior and operational changes in facilities, coupled with upgraded energy efficient

equipment have resulted in decreased energy usage and emissions. In FY2022, the County was recognized by

Peoples Gas for achieving significant reductions in natural gas usage, saving the equivalent amount of energy used

in 600 homes for a year. The County is in the process of finalizing an agreement for an off-site, renewable energy

Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) which will help bolster the green economy, improve air quality and add renewable

energy to the electric grid.

Cook County’s plan for use of ARPA funds (over $1 billion), to promote the response to the pandemic and economic

recovery, is grounded in its core values of equity, engagement and excellence. Over $130 million of these funds has

been allocated to sustainability investments including south suburban household hazardous waste and municipal

Offices Under the President

recycling services, lead pipe replacements, stormwater management, climate resiliency and green infrastructure for

municipalities, equitable EV charging infrastructure and brownfield restoration. This plan also includes funding to

support the implementation of the Forest Preserve of Cook County’s southeast land acquisition initiative, expanding

forest preserve systems and creating greater accessibility for an increasing number of residents. Additional projects

include restoring natural areas around Tinley and Thorn Creeks and further supporting Conservation Career Corps

experiences.

Cook County also:

• Facilitated $2.5 million in C-PACE financing to procure a vertical hydroponic farm facility in Calumet City to

improve efficiency of the equipment used to grow local, pesticide-free leafy greens.

• Cleaned up 91,945 cubic yards of illegally dumped waste in Cook County communities since 2018.

• Assessed 66 sites in the south and west suburbs for contamination and developed cleanup and

redevelopment plans through County brownfield program.

• Increased green space by:

o Establishing a Miyawaki ‘tiny’ forest at Markham Courthouse in partnership with the Nordson Green

Earth Foundation and the City of Markham.

o Planting over 40 trees at the Maywood Courthouse in partnership with Openlands.

• Assisted 48 residents by installing solar panels on their homes, made possible through the Grow Solar

Chicagoland group buy program.

• Granted eight schools funds through the Solar Schools Program to assist with a small solar panel installation

and to educate youth about renewable energy.

Smart Communities (Public Infrastructure)

Goal: To provide innovative infrastructure that will change how residents live, work and connect.

In FY2017, the Department of Transportation and Highways (DoTH) launched Invest in Cook to cover the costs

of planning and feasibility studies, engineering right-of-way acquisition and construction for transportation

improvements sponsored by local and regional governments as well as private and nonprofit partners. The FY2022

Invest in Cook program consisted of one freight, two transit, 11 bicycle, 13 roadway and 16 pedestrian projects. 39

municipalities received funding, in addition to three townships, with slightly more than half of all program funds

going to high need communities. Cook County’s investment of $9 million in grants leveraged an additional $27

million in state and federal funds to enable over $36 million in transportation project activity.

Guaranteeing equal access to the region’s world class transportation system is at the core of DoTH’s work. Cook

County’s ongoing Fair Transit South Cook pilot is one component of the department’s increased engagement with

the region’s transit agencies. This partnership between Cook County, Metra, Pace and the Regional Transit Authority

offers riders reduced fares on the Metra Electric and Rock Island lines as well as extended service along the Pace

Route 352 Halsted. Fair Transit South Cook targets residents in south Cook and north Will Counties who may not

own a car, spend more than an hour commuting to work and spend up to 50% of their income on transportation

costs. Strategic investments in transit are integral to guaranteeing transportation equity.

This commitment to equity and support for alternative modes of transportation will be further complemented by

the policy and project priorities outlined in the forthcoming Cook County Bike Plan and the Cook County Transit

Plan, each substantively completed in FY2022. Both plans articulate DoTH’s role in expanding and improving the

County’s bicycle and transit infrastructure and services. Each refines County priorities for multimodal transportation

infrastructure while complementing the existing transportation network. While writing the plans, DoTH worked with

the region’s cycling stakeholders and transit agencies to ensure this work added value to previous planning efforts

and is reflective of regional priorities.

DoTH understands the need to leverage funding and forge multi-jurisdictional partnerships. Previously established

funding partnerships with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Forest Preserves of Cook

County (FPCC) allowed DoTH to holistically address local and intra-jurisdictional transportation needs across the

County in FY2022. Since FY2017 DoTH has committed over $60 million to support CDOT as they maintain the nearly

90 miles of DoTH roadways in Chicago while advancing local project priorities and preparing for the future needs of

the City’s residents. In addition, the department’s partnership with the FPCC has yielded $16 million of investment

to resurface ten miles of paved trails and improve access to 55 sites. These projects will increase the accessibility of

FPCC facilities while helping to repair and maintain FPCC’s extensive trail network across Cook County.

Throughout the year, DoTH balanced work to modernize the transportation system with the maintenance and

preservation needs of existing County infrastructure assets. DoTH’s attention to maintaining a systemwide state of

good repair is reflected in the ongoing implementation of the department’s newly established ADA improvements

program, expanded bridge and traffic signal maintenance/replacement programs and the large number of

pavement maintenance and rehabilitation projects implemented in FY2022.

Sustainability is key to supporting the goal of Smart Communities and creating innovative infrastructure. In terms of

green infrastructure. DES is leading a $6 million initiative that supports the implementation of “RainReady” plans in

the Calumet region focused on nature-based solutions to reduce flooding and subsequent damage to communities.

To achieve regional results, multiple County bureaus and departments regularly coordinate initiatives with other

entities such as Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) when identifying and planning possible projects.

Cook County also allocated $5.5 million in ARPA funds towards equitable electric vehicle (EV) charging

infrastructure, led by DES and the Bureau of Asset Management (BAM). This program will increase the number of

and access to public EV charging stations throughout Cook County prioritizing areas where there are currently large

gaps in service, or charging deserts, primarily in the south and west suburbs of Cook County.

Offices Under the President

The charging deserts that currently exist are often in traditionally excluded communities where there is already

a disproportionate exposure to air pollution. Increasing the number of EV charging stations ultimately reduces

greenhouse gas emissions, provides valuable infrastructure as transition from gas- and diesel-powered vehicles

occurs and benefits future regional infrastructure planning efforts. Increasing access to charging stations will improve

air quality and improve access to EVs, making an EV a more feasible option for a larger number of County residents.

DES continues to work closely with the Forest Preserves of Cook County to meet smart and sustainable goals.

The preserves are important for a healthy ecosystem, stormwater management and flood prevention and carbon

sequestration. In FY2022, $10 million in ARPA funds were allocated towards implementation of the Southeast Land

Acquisition and Riparian Restoration to ensure that these goals continue to be met and allow every resident the

opportunity to connect with local green spaces for personal recreation and wellness.

ARPA funds will also allow creation of a South Suburban Household Hazardous Waste drop-off collection facility. This

will provide services to a chronically excluded area that will help reduce the volume of toxic materials in homes and

communities.

In May 2022, Cook County completed a five-year, $25 million project to upgrade its telecommunications system to

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). More than 21,000 phone lines were replaced over the course of the project.

The VoIP upgrade is significant in terms of Cook County’s technological modernization efforts because it allows the

County to consolidate its telecommunications and data infrastructure instead of using separate lines and switches

for each mode of communication. It connects phone, email and other communication technologies together in a

unified system. Users can check voicemail from their email inbox, for example.

The Illinois Supreme Court (ISC) provided funding in FY2022 in the amount of $833,025.47 to purchase a total of

825 Wireless Access Points, 12 Cisco 922 Network and 2 Cisco 9800 LAN Controllers to install throughout each of

the suburban courthouses, the Daley Center and Domestic Violence Court.

BAM will continue to improve infrastructure across Cook County through the Build Up Cook program, formerly

known as the Municipal Capacity for Capital Improvements (MCCI). This innovative program will assist suburban

Cook County communities with the implementation of projects receiving federal and state funding by leveraging

BAM’s resources. In partnership with these municipalities, BAM will provide technical assistance and project

management expertise to ensure that infrastructure projects can secure funding, achieve completion and equitably

improve quality of life across Cook County.

The Chicago Southland Fiber Network (CSFN) is a nonprofit founded by the South Suburban Mayors and Managers

Association (SSMMA) with help from the County and the state, to support the Southland’s network of more than

60 miles of fiber optic backbone along the I-57 corridor, linking south suburban municipalities, public safety sites,

community colleges and businesses to gigabit-speed internet services. The County was awarded a Connect-IL

broadband grant to extend the reach of CSFN into more south suburban communities and to reach more anchor

institutions and promote economic development. The first phase of this project began construction in FY2022 and

will expand broadband access in the Southland. Additional phases are currently being designed.

In FY2022, BAM continued its diversion of scrap metal e-waste, furniture and office equipment. The bureau has also

issued an invitation for bid (IFB) for recycling to create a robust recycling program to capture plastic, glass and metal

cans.

Offices Under the President

Open Communities (Good Governance)

Goal: Ensure that Cook County provides responsive, transparent services and develops a thriving

professional workforce that reflects the communities served.

The labor market in FY2022 was characterized as a job seeker’s market both nationally and locally. Deloitte research,

from early in FY2022, demonstrated there were nearly two job opportunities per job seeker on a national level.

To compete in this unprecedented labor market, the County’s Bureau of Human Resources (BHR) developed

strategies to position Cook County as an employer of choice through several initiatives: implementing a digital

marketing plan with a re-imagined “career brand”, updating the website for ease of navigation and to highlight the

County’s generous benefits package, hosting hiring fairs, conducting compensation reviews, offering hiring and

retention incentives, aggressively performing outreach initiatives to attract candidates and demonstrating a renewed

commitment to increasing diversity in Cook County’s workforce.

The overall tone of the new marketing strategy is approachable, informative and transparent. BHR launched a new

career landing page on the website,

Career Opportunities in Offices Under the President

, which includes OUP

employee video testimonials and visuals with career branding headlines and inclusive messages.

The County’s benefits package is also highlighted along with links to job openings that employees can utilize to

assist in advertising broadly within their own networks.

BHR also held position targeted hiring fairs to address market trends and conducted executive and nonexecutive

compensation studies to ensure that employees’ salaries align with the current market rate. The compensation

realignment also included moving to a standalone grade ladder for technical positions in the Bureau of Technology

(BOT). BHR also instituted hiring and retention incentives for the most difficult positions to fill in this climate.

In FY2022, BHR hired a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Outreach Manager (DEI Outreach Manager) to educate

diverse organizations about employment opportunities, to build partnerships within Cook County and to implement

strategic community outreach plans. Collaborating with the Workforce Strategy and Equal Employment Opportunity

divisions, the DEI Outreach Manager has connected

to numerous community groups and educational

institutions to market Cook County employment

opportunities. Highlights:

• BHR conducted two hiring fairs, one in-person and

the other virtual. One of the two hiring fairs resulted

in BHR filling all recruiting team vacancies.

• Posted positions on external sites including LinkedIn

and eleven other general job boards and on

specialty sites. County job postings can be viewed

on over 700 sites through a third-party vendor.

• LinkedIn job postings were viewed by close to 300,000 potential candidates in FY2022.

• 5,820 passive candidates have been contacted through direct sourcing.

• Full cycle recruiting and onboarding takes under 90 days to complete on average, which is well below the public

sector average of 119 days. Through continuing innovative approaches to talent acquisition, Cook County will

attract and retain qualified talent that is representative of a cross section of our diverse and vibrant communities.

Bureau of Technology (BOT)

Cook County’s Separately Elected Offices Share Their IT Strategic Plans

In January 2022, the County held its inaugural Cook County Board Technology and Innovation Committee meeting,

where each of the County’s separately elected officials shared their IT strategic plans. BOT presented the strategy for

Offices Under the President as well as an overall strategy for Cook County Government.

GIS Creates Efficient Mobile App for Department of Revenue to Collect Field Data

Cook County Geographic Information Systems (GIS) assisted the Department of Revenue (DOR) Business Discovery

team by creating a more efficient way to collect field data. The GIS team created a smartphone-based solution for

DOR staff to enter newly discovered taxable businesses while in the field.

GIS used the ArcGIS Survey123 product to make a customized form that can be completed using a smartphone

application. The form also includes a method to record the location of the business using the phone’s GPS.

Project planning started in FY2019, and the initiative was launched in March 2022. The testing of the application was

delayed because Covid-19 restricted some field work.

Previously, field staff would gather data manually and consolidate their new business discoveries using an Excel

spreadsheet back in the office. The Survey123 solution allows the field staff to enter data directly into the database

from the field, eliminating the need for data entry in the office. The solution also allows the user to transfer existing

data rather than re-entering it in the form. GIS also created a dashboard tool to summarize the data.

Enterprise ARPA Reporting and Data Collection Project Nears Federal Deadline

BOT is spearheading Cook County’s Enterprise ARPA Reporting and Data Collection project to provide updates to

the federal government on Cook County’s transformative ARPA projects.

To learn more about Cook County’s many ARPA projects, please visit

cookcountyil.gov/ARPA.

GIS Launches Knowledge Share Site

GIS recently created the GIS Knowledge Share. Finding GIS information or assistance can be difficult. GIS Knowledge

Share contains videos and links to websites that can help Cook County employees get started on everything from

installing software to performing analysis.

GIS Knowledge Share also has a section that allows users to communicate with BOT/GIS staff via Microsoft Teams.

User groups and multiple people can share questions and take part in the conversation, if needed.

GIS hopes to grow this site over time. It can be a place where Cook County employees come to either get help or

get new ideas, possibly from another department that has accomplished something similar using maps or spatial

analysis.

Offices Under the President

GIS Releases Find My District Map

In February 2023, GIS announced a new transparency and civic engagement initiative with the launch of

Find My

District

, an interactive web map that shows the overlapping political districts of any address in Cook County, using

public data provided by the County Clerk.

Visitors to the site can enter an address or point to a location on the map and find their district as well as the districts’

elected representatives and contact information. Visitors can also use their phone or computer’s built-in GPS to find

the information for their current location.

“Illinois has more units of local government than any other state

in the nation,” said President Preckwinkle. “Our Geographic

Information Systems Department created this interactive map

to make it easier for residents to find and contact local officials

and learn about their responsibilities.”

GIS Announces Major Update to Interactive FY2010-FY2020 Cook County Demographics Map

The updated and newly branded Cook County FY2010-FY2020 census demographics app,

Everyone Counts

an interactive map that gives County residents access to data around key factors impacting investments to drive

equitable outcomes across the County. There is data pertaining to many areas of importance including employment,

income levels, educational attainment, housing, commuting and transportation accessibility as well as shifting

demographic factors such as age, ancestry, language and abilities. The interactive map makes it easier to identify

a variety of demographic changes that took place in Cook County on a census-tract level between FY2015 and

FY2020.

Offices Under the President

This open-source project not only helps Cook County Government Offices Under the President, but it also

strengthens the ability of key community and strategic partners to see the County’s collective investment power

and assist in evaluating investment performance on a hyperlocal level over time. This update directly delivers on the

County’s goal for responsive and transparent service delivery.

Bureau of Finance (BOF)

Understanding that local taxing jurisdictions could potentially experience temporary short-term operational cash

flow deficiencies caused by the deferred 2nd installment property tax bills, Cook County created the Property Tax

Bridge Fund Program to provide streamlined and fully transparent access to no-interest loans. In total, Cook County

provided over $39 million in Bridge Fund assistance to over 20 government bodies.

Due to limited resources, loan distributions were prioritized utilizing an equity lens. Local taxing districts that were

determined to be most in need were given priority if the total amount of loan requests exceeded the amount

of loans available. The County leveraged its

CARES Act equitable distribution model

, the State of Illinois’ school

funding metrics and the average of the past three years of collection rates. Additionally, taxing districts that provide

vital services were prioritized.

The County spearheaded expansive outreach to hundreds of taxing bodies that included twice weekly informational

newsletters, emails and follow-up phone calls. Additionally, BOF worked with BOT to create a streamlined and

secure application portal:

Bridge Fund

. This portal allowed local taxing jurisdictions to submit applications and

supporting documents for the Bridge Fund Program and included a presentation and webinar to assist with the

application process.

Office of the President (OOP)

Racial Equity Training Module One Rollout

One component of the Racial Equity Policy and Action Plan was launched in FY2022, the first module in Racial

Equity Training, Generational Diversity: Managing 5 Generations in the OUP Workplace. As of December 31,

82% of all OUP team members completed the two-hour interactive course designed specifically in response to

data from the FY2021 Racial Equity Baseline Assessment Survey and qualitative data gathered from close to 25

departmental meetings in FY2021 and early FY2022. The Equity Office in collaboration with the Bureau of Human

Resources training team designed the curriculum and administered close to 100 virtual and in-person sessions

across three work shifts from September through November 2022. With evaluations from the launch, plans for full

integration of the first module into the annual training calendar are underway. Additionally, armed with data from

the remeasurement Racial Equity survey (highlighted below), the team will begin building the next module of the

program in 2023.

Racial Equity Biannual Survey

The Racial Equity Biannual Survey was launched the final week of FY2022. This survey aims to update the progress

of OUP’s racial equity work since it was last measured in June 2021. The Equity Office will capture the viewpoints

of Cook County Government OUP as individuals and collectively as an organization, in order to deliver equitable

services to Cook County residents, business owners and visitors. The original data set was used to inform the Cook

County OUP Racial Equity Policy and Racial Equity Action Plan that was adopted in September 2021 and informed

the initial Racial Equity Training Course.

Cook County Health

Public Health

INTRODUCTION

For more than 180 years, Cook County Health (CCH) has served as the largest safety net health care provider in

Cook County. CCH provides integrated health services with dignity and respect

regardless of a patient’s ability to pay or immigration status and is one of the

largest integrated public health systems in the nation. The Cook County Health

system is comprised of three component parts:

• as a provider, CCH operates two hospitals, 13 community health centers and

provides correctional health services at the Cook County Jail and the Cook

County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC),

• as a health plan, CCH owns and operates CountyCare, the largest Medicaid

managed care plan in Cook County

• and as a public health entity, CCH operates the Cook County Department of

Public Health (CCDPH), the state-certified local health department for most of

suburban Cook County.

CCH cares for more than 230,000 individuals each year and records close to one million outpatient visits and

25,000 admissions. CCH is transforming the provision of health care in Cook County by promoting community-

based primary and preventive care while enhancing the patient experience, helping to grow an innovative and

collaborative health plan and working to further health equity.

FY2022 INITIATIVES

In FY2022, CCH responded swiftly and comprehensively to several pressing health challenges, including the

ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the monkeypox (mpox) outbreak and the health needs of asylum seekers coming

to the region. The health system celebrated the administration of more than 1 million doses of the COVID-19

vaccine. CCH established The Change Institute of Cook County to address multifactorial social risk factors of health

collaboratively with partners across all sectors. CCH also established the $1 million Provident Scholarship Fund in

collaboration with Cook County Offices Under the President,

Project Rainbow

and Cook County Health Foundation

to support students in the health care field who are committed to caring for underserved populations. From a

financial perspective, CCH managed its FY2022 budget with positive results and continued to improve revenue cycle

initiatives by decreasing denials and improving payer rates and collections.

CCH continued to achieve progress towards its transformation by developing a three-year strategic plan, “Impact-

Change-Equity.” Approved by the CCH Board of Directors and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, the

strategic plan is built on seven pillars:

1. Patient safety, clinical excellence and quality

2. Health equity, community health and integration

3. Workforce talent and teams

4. Fiscal resilience

5. Patient experience

6. Optimization, systemization and performance

improvement

7. Growth, innovation and transformation

Cook County Health

Public Health

FY2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The CCH flagship John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital remains at the forefront of new therapies and innovations in health

care. Stroger Hospital celebrated its 20th anniversary in FY2022 and continues to maintain a strong commitment to

the health care needs of Cook County’s underserved populations while offering a full range of cutting-edge medical

services. The 450-bed teaching hospital serves as the hub for CCH staff to deliver complex sub-specialty care.

Stroger Hospital was named first ranked hospital in Illinois and fifth in the nation for advancing racial inclusivity by the

Lown Institute Hospitals Index. For the fourth year in a row, Stroger Hospital was recognized by U.S. News and World

Report as a leading hospital for heart failure care. Additional honors from U.S. News and World Report include high

performance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia and heart attack care.

FY2022 brought exciting developments to Provident Hospital. It has restored ICU services, re-established ambulance

runs and opened an inpatient dialysis program. More than $8 million has been invested to modernize the Provident

campus in recent years. Investments continue to be made to expand programs and services at the hospital, ensuring

access to essential medical care on Chicago’s south side.

The Ambulatory and Community Health Network (ACHN) is a network of health centers that coordinate primary

and specialty outpatient care in community and hospital settings. ACHN also includes CCH’s community COVID-19

vaccination program which has administered more than one million doses of vaccine since launching. FY2022

saw the re-opening of three mass vaccination sites during the COVID-19 surge and hundreds of mobile pop-up

clinics. ACHN also led the establishment of vaccination and testing efforts during the mpox outbreak and stood

up a clinic to serve the health needs of the 3,000+ asylum seekers being bussed to the County. In FY2022, ACHN

launched the Integrated Behavioral Health program at all health centers, integrating behavioral health services into

patients’ primary care. Under ACHN, the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center remains one of the largest HIV/AIDS clinics

in the U.S., providing integrated services to patients with HIV and other infectious diseases. In FY2022, the CORE

Center continued to integrate services across CCH to expand Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis treatment to reduce HIV

transmission, as well as increase HIV testing and health education into other CCH facilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted FY2022 initiatives and operations in Correctional Health Services.

CCH staff at the Cook County Jail have worked tirelessly since the beginning of the pandemic to curb COVID-19

transmission. Efforts included social distancing, opening new buildings, masking enforcement, extensive testing,

effective quarantine practices and compassionate treatment. Vaccination programs continued in FY2022. The

patient census continues to rise, with an average of 6,000. Goals achieved in FY2022 were Juvenile Detention

Center’s re-accreditation status and re-certification of the Cermak Opioid Treatment Program with recognition as a

Substance Use/Misuse Center of Excellence Program.

CountyCare is the largest Medicaid-managed care health plan in Cook County, providing health benefits to more

than 443,000 members in FY2022. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in FY2022, CountyCare continues to develop

new medical cost action plan initiatives to deliver savings opportunities and cost strategies across all areas of the

health plan. Initiatives have resulted in pharmacy cost savings, administrative efficiencies and improvements in

medical costs. County Care was recognized by the Institute for Medicaid Innovation for proactive innovation in

response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In FY2022, the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) continued to respond to COVID-19 and

other emerging communicable diseases, including mpox. CCDPH continued to conduct outbreak investigations

and provide infection control guidance to hospitals, long-term care facilities and other congregate settings. The

agency promoted COVID-19 vaccinations through the “Boost Up Cook County” campaign and provided COVID-19

vaccinations to communities and individuals prioritized as part of CCDPH’s commitment to vaccine equity with over

Cook County Health

Public Health

2,100 mobile events hosted in partnership with community-based organizations (CBOs), schools, workplaces and

others. The agency also ensured that 1,953 suburban Cook County residents were vaccinated for mpox. Additionally,

CCDPH addressed emerging public health threats that were exacerbated by the pandemic including food insecurity,

substance use and behavioral health. CCDPH supported the distribution of nearly 2,000 healthy, locally sourced

emergency meals for residents; distributed nearly 1,400 naloxone kits to law enforcement, emergency medical

services and CBOs; and invested nearly $7.5 million in communities as part of its Building Healthy Communities

resiliency initiative. CCDPH also launched the Cook County Health Atlas, a data portal that makes community-level

health information available for many health conditions and behaviors and allows the CCDPH, partners and the

community to monitor progress in advancing health equity.

FY2023 GOALS

In FY2023, CCH will continue interventions surrounding COVID-19 containment and mitigation, including

programmatic initiatives for screening, treatment and vaccination. Overall, efforts across the organization will

center around the seven pillars identified in the strategic plan. CCH will implement two transformative projects in

FY2023 – The Change Institute and expansion of the behavioral health footprint. The Change Institute will focus

on improving outcomes in targeted clinical areas of neuroscience, cardiovascular disease and oncology. Using

ARPA funds from the County, CCH will both expand its internal behavioral health service offerings and work to

reduce gaps in care throughout the Cook County behavioral health network. CCH will also work to improve various

administrative processes, such as hiring and procurement, patient registration, continued revenue cycle turnaround

implementation and an overall review aligning staffing models to benchmarks.

As a provider, CCH will focus on improved access to services through scheduling optimization, One Source

Enterprise implementation and enhanced care coordination. At Stroger Hospital, CCH is expected to return to

pre-pandemic volumes and is strengthening several service lines including neurology, cardiology and oncology

through The Change Institute. CCH will continue to work to attract CountyCare members’ utilization of CCH services

and focus on expanding access to specialty care, diagnostic imaging and same-day surgeries. CCH will work on

improving targeted quality metrics and patient satisfaction scores.

At Provident Hospital, CCH is planning to increase the capacity for the hospital’s colonoscopy program, resume

physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy services, increase the number of inpatient beds and

enhance behavioral health services.

ACHN will continue to support community COVID-19 vaccination, provide health care to asylum seekers and expand

general access to both primary care and specialty care at the various outpatient locations. ACHN will also pilot

urgent care clinics.

Correctional Health will continue to provide physical and mental health services to adult detainees and juvenile

residents in the context of continuing to mitigate any spread of COVID-19 in these congregate settings. CCH will

focus on creating improved pathways to justice through care coordination and enhanced discharge planning.

CountyCare will focus on improving access to services including behavioral health services, through expanded

telehealth and network management. CountyCare will also work to mitigate social risk factors by supporting housing

and food needs for some members. If the public health emergency ends, and redetermination resumes, CountyCare

will implement a retention strategy to ensure individuals stay insured and in care.

For FY2023, CCDPH will continue to respond to communicable disease threats, including COVID-19, influenza,

mpox and sexually transmitted infections. CCDPH’s In-Home Vaccination Program and Hyperlocal Vaccination

Program will continue to ensure that suburban Cook County residents have access to crucial vaccinations. CCDPH

Cook County Health

Public Health

will increase the availability, access and use of health behavior and health outcome data, through the collection of

data in the Cook County Health Survey and on-going updates to the Cook County Health Atlas data portal, as well as

improve its capacity to conduct syndromic surveillance and early identification of outbreaks. The agency will continue

to implement and monitor activities, programs and initiatives aligned with WePlan 2025, the community health

improvement plan for suburban Cook County, a requirement for state-certification and public health accreditation.

This includes, but is not limited to, correcting lead hazards in pre-1978 suburban residential housing units for low- to

middle-income homeowners or renters, advancing the Healthy Work initiative that promotes worker rights, health

and safety and expanding the implementation of the Building Healthy Communities initiative that will include an

additional $14 million in communities for behavioral health and substance use/overdose prevention, treatment and

support with ARPA funds. Lastly, CCDPH intends to explore opportunities to reduce maternal and infant mortality as

the agency works with clinician colleagues at Stroger Hospital to expand its maternal and child health programming.

Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County

Public Safety

INTRODUCTION

The Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County is the official keeper of records for all judicial matters

brought into one of the largest unified court systems in the world. The Office is mandated by the state of Illinois

to attend all circuit court sessions and is responsible for preserving and maintaining all court files and papers in

addition to making and keeping a complete record of all proceedings and determinations of all court cases.

The Office also provides specialized customer service assistance to both self-represented litigants and attorneys by

allowing them to electronically file (e-file) circuit court cases, while also managing and organizing case information

in the most efficient and effective ways possible. The Office is required to charge, collect and disburse the fines and

fees of the court as determined by the Clerks of Courts, Criminal, Civil and Traffic Assessment Acts. Other duties are

also performed as required by law.

The Office serves the residents of Cook County and participants in the judicial system in an efficient, effective and

ethical manner. The Office provides all services, information and court records with courtesy and cost efficiency.

FY2022 INITIATIVES

The Custody Flag project was an initiative of the Office identified to improve the efficiency of court operations.

Working with the Office of the Chief Judge, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and other justice partners, a Custody

Flag was implemented within the online Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that tells the Sheriff’s

Office if the defendant in custody will participate on their court date either by Zoom or in person. With COVID-19

pandemic measures still in place, this integration is significantly helpful when determining the number of defendants

that can be present in the courtroom.

The Office’s staff continues to provide specialized customer service to both self-represented litigants and attorneys

to e-file successfully, while managing and organizing case information in the most efficient and effective ways

possible. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office implemented remote access services for court users in March

2020 and will continue these offerings going forward, as needed, to provide services in a safe and efficient manner.

The Office is also working to eliminate paperwork within the court process. Instead of paperwork for bond court,

the Office will transmit the same information electronically through the Enterprise Service Bus. This new process will

improve the efficiency for applicable criminal justice agencies to receive arrest information.

FY2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

FY2022 saw compliance fulfilment with the Shakman Court Consent decrees in fewer than two years. On November

21, 2022, a federal judge found the Office in substantial compliance with the Shakman court consent decrees and

court orders and dismissed the Office from federal court oversight.

Over the course of FY2022, the following significant accomplishments were achieved:

• Implementation of the Tyler Technologies Odyssey case management system.

• A new four-year collective bargaining agreement was negotiated.

• An entry-level bargaining unit position hiring process was addressed to bring greater transparency to the hiring

of entry-level bargaining positions – resulting in 14 union job classifications collapsed into three distinct entry-

level bargaining unit positions.

Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County

Public Safety

• Hiring of 248 entry-level positions for Court Operations, promotion of 205 bargaining unit members and lateral

transfer of 37 bargaining unit members.

• Redevelopment and redeployment of a new website.

• Launch of the Circuit Court Clerk in the Community program: a series of events where the Clerk and her staff

provide residents with essential information about court cases and records.

• Opening of a new call center allowing County residents access to a streamlined process to obtain answers they

need for court related questions without having to physically go to a county facility.

• Enhancements to the Traffic Division to provide more efficiency and increased electronic access.

FY2023 GOALS

In FY2023, the Office will continue to address operational needs to ensure initiatives such as the e-filing registration

team, e-filing customer service center, e-filing troubleshooting team, pro se and attorney assistance help desk,

e-filing accept and reject team, quality assurance team, scanning team, back scanning team and printing team are

operating properly. Additionally, the Office undertakes opportunities to identify advanced technology opportunities

to improve the efficiency of court operations, reduce costs, identify additional revenue prospects, improve customer

service and enhance the public’s access to information.

The Office created a call center to improve access to justice. The Office proposed and allocated funds in its FY2023

budget that will make it easier for residents to get answers to court questions without having to physically go to a

county facility. The new resource will benefit the elderly, the differently abled and those facing language or other

barriers. The call center will be a new and efficient resource that will enhance transparency in the Office while

leveraging existing assets.

Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender

Public Safety

INTRODUCTION

The mission of the Cook County Public Defender is to protect the fundamental rights, liberties and dignity of each

person whose case has been entrusted to us by providing the finest legal representation.

FY2022 INITIATIVES

During FY2022, the Cook County Public Defender’s Office launched several initiatives to help the Office meet its

mission:

Reduce Caseloads to Ensure Zealous Advocacy of Clients

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the tolling of criminal court cases and had a significant impact on client

caseloads. The Office began working to establish caseloads that reflect national best practice standards by

successfully advocating for an additional 51 full-time employee positions, and aggressively working to fill vacancies

throughout the Office.

Enhance Records Maintenance and Retention

The Public Defender began working with the Bureau of Administration’s Office of Research, Operations and

Innovation to develop a strategic plan to establish a more efficient method to maintain and store records. The plan

included launching a new Records Management Division consisting of nine full-time employees, including a new

records manager position. These positions were funded in FY2022.

Expand Professional Development

The Public Defender’s training program was enhanced to provide in-house professional development for all staff,

including attorneys, support staff, investigators, mitigators, etc. The need to provide up-to-date best practice

information and training for all Public Defender staff has become increasingly important and enables the Office to

provide holistic legal representation.

Immigration Unit Pilot Program

During FY2022, the Immigration Unit continued to onboard grant-funded staff to build its capacity and provide

a continuum of legal representation to clients in criminal and immigration court matters. Additionally, the grant-

funded Immigration Pilot Program worked to establish policies and parameters for the appropriate scope of legal

representation related to immigration court cases.

Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender

Public Safety

FY2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The Public Defender’s FY2022 accomplishments included:

Increased Staff Hiring

During FY2022, the Public Defender’s Office

began working to fill the 51 newly added full-time

employee (FTE) positions. In addition, FY2022

resulted in an increase of hiring overall, and is

reflected in the chart labeled “Public Defender

Hiring Trend.”

Established new Records Management

Division

The Public Defender’s Office established a

new Records Management Division comprised of one new records manager position and six new records and

information specialists’ positions. All positions were posted by the end of the fiscal year, with plans to onboard new

staff in early FY2023.

Expanded Professional Development/Trainings

Historically, the Public Defender’s Office focused on providing training opportunities to its attorney staff members.

This was inequitable for the other professionals in the office whose work is vital to client representation. In FY2022,

the Public Defender appointed a new deputy of professional development, who enhanced the Office’s training

programs and provided additional training opportunities for attorneys, investigators and support staff. This

information is referenced in the chart “Total Number of Training Opportunities for Investigators and Support Staff by

Year.”

Immigration Unit Pilot Program

During FY2022, the Immigration Unit Pilot expanded its capacity by onboarding four new employees. Additionally,

the Pilot expanded its scope of work to include the representation of clients in immigration court and increased the

Padilla advisals (attorneys must advise noncitizen clients regarding how a criminal conviction will affect their ability to

remain in the United States) provided to assistant public defenders by 63%.

FY2023 GOALS

Building upon the successes of FY2022, the Public Defender’s Office will work to accomplish the following goals

during FY2023:

Implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act

The Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) will end the use of monetary bond in Illinois and completely overhaul the legal

process that determines whether a person arrested in the State of Illinois will be incarcerated before the resolution of

their criminal case. To accommodate these changes, which include new hearings that will occur seven days a week,

365 days a year, the Public Defender created a new Pretrial Division of attorneys, support staff and investigators. The

Illinois Supreme Court temporarily stayed the implementation of the PFA, presumably until later in the fiscal year, at

which time, the new Pretrial Division will become fully operational.

Acquiring Necessary Office Space for New Employees

In FY2022, the Public Defender acquired 51 new full-time positions. In anticipation of filling those positions, and

other vacancies created through attrition, the Public Defender will be required to onboard new staff to fulfill its

obligations under the PFA and other priority areas in FY2023. As a result, there will be a significant shortage of

available office space. The Public Defender’s offices throughout the County are currently overcrowded, causing

multiple employees to share office space designed for one person or use storage space as an office. This situation

worsens as the Public Defender continues to onboard new employees. The Public Defender will remedy this by

leasing additional office space in FY2023.

Responsible Caseload Management

The Public Defender’s office will continue to

work to ensure that the representation of clients

is done in the most effective and efficient way

possible. Assistant Public Defenders currently

carry high caseloads that far exceed the standards

established by the National Advisory Commission

on Criminal Justice (see chart labeled “NAC

Caseload Standards vs. 2022 Public Defender

Caseloads”). In addition to the number of cases

attorneys work on each year, there continues

to be an increase in the amount of work that is

required to effectively represent clients. This

includes reviewing electronic discovery, analyzing

forensic evidence, establishing mitigation,

conducting investigations and other supportive

work that the practice of law currently requires.

Accordingly, the Public Defender will prioritize filling vacancies to meet this growing need.

Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender

Public Safety

Sheriff’s Office

Public Safety

INTRODUCTION

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is

committed to improving the quality of life of

every person who engages with the Office

by providing them with a safe and secure

environment and treating them with dignity and

respect in every phase of their engagement.

The Sheriff’s Office provides efficient, effective

and timely services, collaborating with other

agencies and stakeholders as needed while

remaining fiscally responsible. The Cook

County Sheriff’s Police Department (CCSPD)

is responsible for patrolling in unincorporated

Cook County, collaborating on targeted crime

reduction initiatives in the City of Chicago and

the suburbs, investigating the cases of missing

persons and providing support to those who are

located, working vigorously to take guns off the street from those who possess them illegally, catching offenders

involved in carjacking incidents as quickly and safely as possible and promoting community engagement efforts.

The Cook County Court Services Department provides security in all courthouses and is responsible for the service

and enforcement of summons, evictions and orders of protection. The Cook County Department of Corrections

(CCDOC) is responsible for housing pre-trial and County-sentenced individuals. The CCDOC also provides these

individuals with programming aimed at reducing recidivism and maintaining order in the jail. The Cook County

Department of Community Corrections supervises individuals court-ordered to the Electronic Monitoring (EM)

Program and provides wrap-around services to assist with re-entry. The Bureau of Information and Technology

(BOIT) aggregates data generated across all operations to allow for data driven decisions. The CCSO continues to

incorporate innovative and effective strategies in daily operations to support community engagement and provide

vital public safety services.

FY2022 INITIATIVES

Crime remains one of Cook County’s biggest

challenges. In FY2022, the Sheriff’s Office

continued its innovative efforts established in

previous years and developed new solutions to

address the problem. For example, the Sheriff’s

Office collaborated with County Commissioners

to acquire a helicopter to combat violent crime,

assist in large-scale emergency situations and aid

in the search for missing people.

CCSPD added a second Community Safety

Team to address the rise in shootings, robberies,

carjackings and thefts in the City of Chicago.

CCSPD worked with the Vehicular Hijacking Task

Force and served as the main source of data

Sheriff’s Office

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collection from the Chicago Police Department, Illinois State Police and more than 100 suburban agencies. The data

collection allowed the CCSPD to create a comprehensive database dedicated solely to vehicular hijacking incidents

dating back to January 1, 2020.

The Department of Human Resources (HR) worked diligently to recruit sworn and civilian positions within the Sheriff’s

Office. In FY2022, HR developed a relationship with the U.S. Army for the recruitment of soldiers transitioning out of

the military. In addition, the Sheriff’s Office expanded the Staff Wellness and Peer Support Program, which focuses

on resilience training and providing employees with skills needed to thrive in the face of the many challenges of law

enforcement. The Bureau of Training, Education and Operational Policy and the Legal Department collaborated to

revise operational policies, procedures and training curricula to comply with the statutory mandates and the effective

date of the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity (SAFE-T) Act.

The CCSO reduced violence, created programs

that build connections between law enforcement

and communities and partnered with federal,

state and local law enforcement agencies to

achieve these goals. CCSO continued to provide

non-traditional law enforcement services such as

delivering turkeys, mentoring summer campers,

repairing taillights and painting catalytic converters

to help reduce the likelihood of theft and resale.

Additionally, CCSO connected Co-responder

Virtual Assistance Program (CVAP) and Treatment

Response Team (TRT) clients. In FY2022, CVAP

and TRT provided 510 interventions for individuals

and families seeking help with mental health and

substance abuse disorders and distributed 78

Narcan kits. CVAP expanded to eight additional

suburban Cook County police departments, and TRT/Co-Responder deployed street outreach efforts in River

North. The Sheriff’s Office Community Resource Center (CRC) built resilience and increased access to quality social

services for historically underserved communities. CRC also opened a new community site in Chicago where the

public can walk in and seek assistance. The Sheriff’s Homeless Assistance Resource Program (SHARP) provided food,

housing assistance, general first aid supplies and care packages that included water, clothing and toiletries. SHARP

also assisted in referring individuals struggling with substance abuse or mental health challenges to rehabilitation

programs.

The Office of Supply Chain Management continued our green initiatives by recycling toner cartridges, reducing the

usage of paper, expanding the biodiesel oil project and increasing the amount of dehydrated food and water from

the CCDOC’s Central Kitchen. Prescription Drug Take Back Days have collected over 155,172 pounds of unwanted

medicine since 2017.

The Court Services Department staff provided the highest level of service to all who entered Cook County

courthouses, from helping with remote appearances to ensuring that individuals were socially distanced, in

accordance with CDC guidelines and the General Administrative Order issued by the Chief Judge. Additionally,

Court Services staff continued to work with the CRC to connect vulnerable families to social services, an activity that

the Office has done for many years.

Sheriff’s Office

Public Safety

The Sheriff’s Office EM program continued to work through the challenges of an EM population facing more violent

charges than in previous years. The Sheriff’s Office continued to work with the University of Chicago’s Radical

Innovation for Social Change (RISC) initiative to develop creative and efficient strategies to manage the EM program.

EM staff provided community linkages to social and vocational services for program participants. In collaboration

with CRC, the EM population was connected to resources in areas of housing, substance abuse, mental health and

domestic violence. The services offered were also extended to the families of program participants.

The Office of the Chief Judge suspended the Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program (SWAP) and the Restoring

Neighborhoods Workforce (RENEW), issuing General Order No. 2020-7 during the COVID-19 shutdown in March

2020. SWAP and RENEW resumed operations and services in May 2022 and immediately scheduled meetings with

judges, made visits to various courthouses and distributed flyers to all court personnel to inform them of the services

offered.

CCDOC continued with modified operational strategies to support individuals in custody with the enhanced

stressors brought on by COVID-19. The Department worked collaboratively with its County partners to transition

into a hybrid model for the court and upgraded its scheduling applications to expand visitation experiences with the

public. The Department continues to prioritize family engagement and developed events for families to be able to

visit their loved ones.

BOIT focused its FY2022 efforts on modernization, application and data integration, compliance and vendor

relationship management and data security and classification. The primary targets for modernization included

eliminating workflows requiring hardcopy forms, automating multiple workflows to expedite review and approval

and maintaining and increasing system resiliency and availability. Data and system standardization enabled

integration between the Sheriff’s Office and myriad partners. For example, BOIT partnered with the Cook County

Bureau of Technology, Administrative Hearings, and multiple other agencies to implement an electronic citation

system, which allows electronic issuance of citations to violators and automates the processing of citations. BOIT

continues to expand data collection to support and improve operations throughout the Office.

FY2023 GOALS

In FY2023, the Sheriff’s Office will implement more innovative approaches and continue to address violence in

the suburbs and the city. It will increase its presence in high crime areas, open another office in Chicago, advance

its non-traditional law enforcement and community engagement initiatives and expand CVAP, TRT and CRC. The

Sheriff’s Office will continue to support other law enforcement agencies and assist vulnerable populations facing

eviction by connecting them to social services. In addition, it will continue to expand on technologies put into place

during the pandemic (e.g., video visitation, telehealth and

video court proceedings), using data to inform operations and

automating processes to realize efficiencies and reduce costs.

The Sheriff’s Office will continue to work closely with criminal

justice stakeholders to comply with the Pre-Trial Fairness Act.

The Sheriff’s Office Gun Strategy and Investigations Bureau will

focus on the diversion of firearms through intelligence-driven

investigations of criminal acts relating to trafficking and other

offenses. It will also closely monitor firearm restraining orders

issued by the Circuit Court to ensure continued timely service

attempts, enforcement and entry into the Law Enforcement

Agency Data System. The Sheriff’s Office will ensure continued

coordination between the CCSPD Gun Suppression Team and local law enforcement agencies to serve and enforce

firearm restraining orders, providing training, guidance and assistance to any requesting law enforcement agency

with service or enforcement of a firearm restraining order in Cook County.

The Child Protection Response Unit commemorated its 10th anniversary and will continue to ensure that specific and

necessary interventions are made to locate minors at risk. More than 1,100 minors have been rescued as of October

2022. The Missing Persons Project will continue efforts to identify missing women in Illinois and/or to clear missing

person cases either through DNA or other profile techniques.

The Sheriff’s Office of Administration will continue to provide support to the operations units by expanding crisis

intervention, active shooter, de-escalation and resilience training. The Office of Administration also plans to expand

employee wellness programs, increase green initiatives and develop innovative strategies to recruit and retain sworn

and civilian employees.

The Court Services Department will continue to replace vehicles that are no longer serviceable with hybrid vehicles,

which will reduce carbon emissions and fuel usage. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to work closely with state,

County and City of Chicago stakeholders to ensure that the implementation of rental assistance funding aligns with

the Office’s process to protect vulnerable tenants and housing providers.

With the guidance of data, EM will continue to assign civilian and sworn staff to zones for an immediate response,

continuity of services and proactive monitoring of participants. EM will also continue collaborating with CRC and

community organizations to help participants achieve success. The Office will continue working with the University of

Chicago on innovative and effective ways to manage the EM population.

The Sheriff’s Office will continue to prioritize reducing violence in our communities and creating programs that build

connections between law enforcement and the people we serve. The Office will also continue to bridge the gap

for community members to access resources, provide security in the courthouses and meet our jail constitutional

mandates.

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Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

Public Safety

INTRODUCTION

The mission of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) is to ensure justice in the

pursuit of thriving, healthy and safe communities. The CCSAO is the second-largest prosecutor’s

office in the nation and employs over 1,200 dedicated civil servants, including more than 750

attorneys. The Office is responsible for nearly all the prosecution of misdemeanor and felony

crimes in Cook County.

In addition to direct criminal prosecution, assistant state’s attorneys (ASAs) file legal actions to

enforce child support orders, litigate to protect consumers, immigrant families and the elderly

from exploitation and assist thousands of victims of sexual assault and domestic violence each year. The CCSAO also

serves as legal counsel for the government of Cook County and its independently elected officials.

During FY2022, the CCSAO focused on collectively emerging

from the logistical challenges posed by the pandemic and better

achieving its mission to serve the people of Cook County in this

post-pandemic “new normal.”

Looking forward to FY2023, the CCSAO will continue to adapt

as the country emerges from the pandemic and the subsequent

spike in crime. The CCSAO is also dedicated to its staff and is

always looking for new ways to address burnout and departures

resulting from the “great resignation” by investing in recruitment,

training and staff morale.

FY2022 INITIATIVES

Initiative 1: Approving, prosecuting and resolving criminal cases in the pursuit of thriving, healthy and

safe communities.

In FY2022, the CCSAO approved nearly 9 of 10 fully reviewed adult felony cases submitted for approval by its law

enforcement partners. The Felony Review Unit oversees the review process.

Before approving charges, an ASA will review the facts and evidence against elements required by law to determine

if the crime can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Charge approval is a vital part of the process, especially in

the most serious cases, because it is up to the prosecutors to evaluate the quality of evidence presented and ensure

the highest chance of a guilty verdict.

After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors can take one of three actions: (1) approve the charge(s) if the elements

of the crime can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt; (2) decline the charge(s); or (3) request a “continued

investigation (CI)” to allow law enforcement more time to collect additional evidence.

Even if the Felony Review Unit does not initially approve charges, police departments can instead file a

misdemeanor charge or collect additional evidence to help prosecutors meet their evidentiary burden.

During FY2022, CCSAO prosecutors approved nearly 90% of fully reviewed adult felony cases and subsequently

earned convictions in more than 70% of cases.

State’s Attorney Foxx highlighting the CCSAO’s

accomplishments in March 2022.

2022 Adult Felony Approval Rates

Reviewed Cases with a Final

Decision

Approved Approval Rate

15,760 13,590 86%

Ranking Reviewed Category Total Reviewed Approval Rate

1 UUW - Unlawful Use of a

Weapon

6,496 89%

2 Sex Crimes 846 61%

3 Aggravated Battery of a

Police Officer

771 94%

4 Aggravated DUI 727 93%

5 Possession of a Stolen

Motor Vehicle

711 83%

6 Homicide 640 86%

7 Retail Theft 637 70%

Table 1. CCSAO 2022 Adult Felony Approval Rates.

2022 Adult Felony Prosecution Rates

Prosecuted Cases

Guilty Guilty Rate

21,234 15,760 71%

Ranking Prosecuted Category Total Prosecuted Guilty Rate

1 UUW - Unlawful Use of a

Weapon

6,977 78%

2 Narcotics 4,743 40%

3 Aggravated DUI 1,080 92%

4 Burglary 923 86%

5 Aggravated Battery of a

Police Officer

803 87%

6 Possession of a Stolen

Motor Vehicle

516 81%

7 Homicide 513 83%

Table 2. CCSAO 2022 Adult Felony Prosecution Rates

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

Public Safety

The CCSAO approved 86% of adult felony charges fully reviewed during 2022. The approval rate has risen since

2018 (Figure 1).

Figure 1. CCSAO Felony Reviewed Cases 2016-2022. This graph reflects felony cases since

State’s Attorney Foxx took office in December 2016.

The CCSAO maintained a 71% conviction rate during FY2022 for all adult felony cases, including those directly filed

by law enforcement. Narcotics cases are the most common felony cases directly filed by law enforcement as well as

the most diverted cases. They are also the most frequently dismissed felony cases due to resource constraints by law

enforcement (Figure 2).

Figure 2. CCSAO Felony Cases Disposed, 2016-2022. This graph reflects felony cases since

State’s Attorney Foxx took office in December 2016.

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

Public Safety

The CCSAO maintained an 80% conviction rate during FY2022 for adult felony cases that underwent the Felony

Review process and were not directly filed by law enforcement (Figure 3).

Figure 3. CCSAO-Initiated Disposed Felony Cases, 2016-2022. This graph reflects felony

cases since State’s Attorney Foxx took office in December 2016.

Initiative 2: Maintaining positive net hiring and high employee morale amidst the “Great Resignation.”

The stresses and trauma of the pandemic on the criminal

justice system, recalculations made by workers during the

“great resignation” and a booming legal market have left the

CCSAO below full staffing. However, the CCSAO is no outlier

to staffing challenges. Prosecutorial offices, especially those in

major metropolitan areas, have been notably impacted by the

great resignation due to expanded law firm hiring, a widening

pay gap with the private sector, a decline in law school

enrollment, a lower bar passage rate and a diminished interest

in law enforcement professions.

The CCSAO’s hiring is cyclical. The Office annually enlists a

large summer cohort of law school students while waiting for

November bar exam scores before these recruits can be sworn

in as ASAs. This cycle creates an expected variation in staffing throughout the year.

Fortunately, the CCSAO has unique strengths that attract local and national candidates. As one of the country’s

largest and most complex court systems, its prosecutors and staff often receive more courtroom opportunities than

their counterparts in private practice. Additionally, the CCSAO is on the cutting edge of transformational changes to

the criminal justice system.

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

Public Safety

ASA Class of 2022 being sworn in at the

Chicago-Kent College of Law, November 2022.

During FY2022, the CCSAO took several steps to modernize its

hiring processes, including redesigning the hiring division with

additional staff, automating the hiring process, tracking hiring

data, developing a more meaningful onboarding experience and

expanding its presence on LinkedIn and Indeed.

The CCSAO also conducts voluntary exit interviews and uses that

feedback to help improve retention and morale.

Initiative 3: Advocating for Pretrial System Reforms.

The current pretrial system utilizes cash bonds and allows wealth,

rather than a person’s danger to the community, to determine

whether someone remains in jail before trial. The system allows a person charged with murder, rape, a sex offense

or a gun crime to use cash to pay for their release while causing harmless people unable to afford bail to lose jobs,

homes and child custody while languishing in jail.

The CCSAO supported and advocated for the end of cash bail as a part of the landmark Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act.

Since its passage in January 2021, the Office has worked with other stakeholders toward the anticipated elimination

of cash bond. The working group reviewed projections overseen by Loyola University Chicago researchers to project

the increased duration of court calls, staffing and space requirements to comply with the law’s many requirements.

The CCSAO’s FY2023 budget request reflected hiring additional attorneys and staff members to meet the

requirements of the Pretrial Fairness Act for bond court personnel.

One day before implementation, the Illinois Supreme Court ordered a stay on the Pretrial Fairness Act due to

legal challenges filed against the law. CCSAO staff is monitoring these ongoing legal challenges and will continue

prosecuting cases based on the law.

Initiative 4: Generating revenue for and protecting the financial interests of the County and its

residents.

The CCSAO’s Civil Actions Bureau brings proactive litigation on behalf of Cook County Government and its people.

During FY2022, the CCSAO notably litigated to protect the financial interests of Cook County Government and its

people by:

Holding big pharma accountable for the opioid crisis

Cook County was the leading county in an early lawsuit against opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and opioid

distributors McKesson, Amerisource Bergen and Cardinal Health. The $60 million settlement will be used for opioid

addiction treatment.

Holding the corporate pharmacy giants accountable for predatory opioid distribution

Cook County is the lead county in a lawsuit against drugstore chains, including CVS, Walgreens and Wal-Mart, for

their complicity in the opioid crisis.

Filing a successful suit against social media giants for data breaches

Cook County filed an original action in state court against Facebook related to its failure to protect the data of Cook

County residents from anticipated breaches.

Defending against significant commercial property tax appeals

The Real Estate Tax Section saved over $180 million in FY2022 for the various taxing districts within Cook County

against commercial property challenges in Circuit Court.

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

Public Safety

The CCSAO Hiring Team at an orientation for new hires.

Ensuring children and families receive child support

During FY2022, the Child Support Services Division filed nearly 15,000 cases, won over $2.6 million in current child

and medical support payments and obtained orders to pay more than $19 million in child support debts to help

ensure that children have the financial support they need.

Initiative 5: Building community trust: Vacating wrongful convictions.

It is difficult for many, especially in a county once known as the “false confession capital of the world,” to trust law

enforcement due to decades of mass incarceration and abuses

of power.

To help build trust, the CCSAO has taken many steps to address

the wrongs committed by the criminal justice system and law

enforcement. One way the CCSAO has done this is by leading

the nation in vacating wrongful convictions.

Under State’s Attorney Foxx, the Office has vacated more than

200 cases, including more than 100 in FY2022.

Since 2018, Illinois has led the nation in exonerations primarily

due to the exonerations in Cook County.

Initiative 6: Expanding access to second chances

through new diversion opportunities.

Diversion programs provide alternatives to criminal convictions that do not address the root causes of crime that

can, in turn, prevent future involvement with the criminal justice system.

The CCSAO participates in and supports more than ten pre- and post-plea programs designed to provide individual

assistance based on a person’s age, mental health or substance abuse challenge, type of crime committed and

criminal history. Individuals who complete the program requirements often have their charges expunged and/or

avoid jail time. Those who do not complete the program or refuse to participate will have their cases returned to

their felony trial courtroom.

In FY2022, the CCSAO referred over 1,500 people to diversion programs. The most common offenses were

narcotics, gun possession cases and non-violent property crimes.

The FY2022 graduation rate for diversion program participants was over 70%. For those who graduated, the rearrest

rate was less than five percent.

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

Public Safety

Herbert Anderson speaks to the media following his case

being vacated in April 2022. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago

Tribune)

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

Public Safety

Figure 4. CCSAO Diversion Referrals, 2017-2022.

While the CCSAO has increased the number of diversion referrals since the pandemic, it is unlikely that those levels

will return to pre-pandemic numbers due to changing arrest patterns which now impact the ability to divert cases.

Due to the legalization of cannabis and fewer arrests for non-violent crimes, fewer people enter the criminal justice

system for committing low-level, non-violent crimes. For example, the number of felony narcotics cases the CCSAO

prosecuted fell from almost 13,000 in 2019 to 4,700 in 2022.

While diversion programs historically have focused on substance abuse and mental health needs, the CCSAO

has expanded its work by piloting a deferred prosecution gun program for young adults out of the Bridgeview

Courthouse over the past year.

The pilot is a six-month program for young adults charged with gun possession in Chicago Police Districts 4 (South

Chicago), 5 (Calumet) and 22 (Morgan Park). The Bridgeview CCSAO staff works with GRO Community, a Chicago

Roseland community-based organization, to provide wrap-around services, group therapy and cognitive-behavioral

therapy. The CCSAO will drop a participant’s charge if they complete the program. The CCSAO works with the

Joyce Foundation and the University of Chicago to evaluate the program’s success and how participants fare after

completion.

Initiative 7: Investing in transformational technology to improve office performance.

The CCSAO is making generational investments in technology to adapt to the flexible requirements of its workforce

and the increase in digital evidence required to meet its evidentiary burden.

Courtroom Technology

Over the past two years, the CCSAO replaced 100% of its legacy courtroom equipment and quadrupled the number

of audio/visual (AV) carts available so that every felony courtroom and most misdemeanor courtrooms have access

to an AV cart.

Cloud Storage and Evidence Management System

The CCSAO has expanded the amount of data stored on the cloud by tenfold in the past 18 months. The

transformation’s centerpiece is the CCSAO’s long-term digitization of evidence and legal documents into the cloud-

based SharePoint system. In addition to the SharePoint platform, the Office is pursuing an investment in a digital

evidence management tool that will streamline digital evidence compilation, discovery and trial preparation efforts

for ASAs.

Case Management

The CCSAO also started implementing a new case management system, making it easier for staff to document cases

and share information, ending the CCSAO’s presence on the antiquated Cook County mainframe.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

In FY2022, the CCSAO successfully implemented a new digital FOIA platform (used by the Assessor, Offices Under

the President and Sheriff) to streamline the FOIA process and respond more efficiently to requests in less time.

Initiative 8: Providing unmatched data transparency to the public.

The CCSAO maintains several public-facing adult felony data dashboards and a community memo outreach

program that allows the public to examine the Office’s prosecutorial decisions. Community memos (Figure 5)

summarize the CCSAO’s charging decisions, guilty convictions and diversion referrals for adult felony cases in each

elected official’s jurisdiction. For Chicago elected officials, the memo includes the Chicago Police Department’s

criminal incident reports and arrests.

The CCSAO now sends over 300 community memos monthly to members of Congress, mayors, state legislators,

Chicago council members and police chiefs for the area they represent.

Figure 5. Sample community memo section.

Initiative 9: Advocating for Policy Changes in Springfield.

The CCSAO maintains a strong presence in the Illinois General Assembly and advocates through the legislative

process to address many of the systemic structural issues found in the criminal justice system. The Office is

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

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Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

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significantly impacted by legislative measures and is a leading force for informing lawmakers and forging advocacy

coalitions toward criminal justice reform.

The CCSAO was active in Springfield during the FY2022 legislative session, including the regular session from

January to April and the fall veto session. The CCSAO drafted and helped advocate for the successful passage of

several legislative items, most notably Public Act 102-1041 (Senate Bill 2565). This legislation implements evidence-

based practices, including using a peer coach and allows prosecutors to motion for immediate expungement of

charges upon the successful treatment of a program.

Initiative 10: Building community trust through direct engagement.

The CCSAO has dedicated teams that work with law enforcement, businesses, faith-based organizations, elected

officials, schools, government entities, social service agencies and community groups to build trust and knowledge

of the CCSAO’s role in the criminal justice system. The Office leads and participates in hundreds of external-facing

meetings, events, resource fairs and seminars to build trust in the

communities most impacted by violence.

The four Community Justice Centers (CJCs) operate in the

communities most impacted by crime. CJC staff includes an ASA

that prosecutes crimes of particular significance to the community,

including targeted offenses and repeat offenders, and a community

liaison in charge of networking, prevention programs and community

outreach. The CJCs share resources and work closely with steering

committees comprised of law enforcement and community leaders.

During FY2022, the Community Justice Centers actively participated

in hundreds of events, meetings, seminars and resource fairs.

FY2022 CJC Event Highlights:

• District 25’s “Coffee with a Cop” community event (CJC West, March 29, 2022).

• Spring Break Event with Phalanx Family Services and Chicago Public High School (CJC South, April 11, 2022).

• District 4’s “Faith in Action Day” at Bessemer Park is an awareness event to help reduce and prevent gun violence

(CJC South, May 27, 2022).

• 28th Ward “Back to School” event at Marshall High School (CJC Central, August 20, 2022).

• CCSAO 101 presentation at the Northeast Levy Senior Center Village Monthly Meeting (CJC North, August 24,

2022).

• An Argyle-Broadway Safety Business Meeting that included a candid discussion about area concerns, including

business safety and crime (CJC North, September 13, 2022).

The CCSAO’s Community Engagement Team has five dedicated and seasoned professionals who organize

programming across Cook County. Community Engagement staff attended over 90 community events, including

back-to-school resource fairs, community-based conversations, community service projects and awareness events.

The Community Justice Centers at a

resource fair during summer 2022.

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

Public Safety

FY2022 Community Engagement Highlights:

• Created the “Citizen’s Academy Youth Edition” Series. This six-week

program educates juveniles on the legal system. The program

generated 25 inquiries and requests for presentations on Juvenile

CCSAO 101.

• Hosted the CCSAO’s first in-person awards ceremony to honor its

community and legal partners since the onset of the pandemic.

• Launched the “Keeping up with Kim” Talk Series. This monthly

community-based talk series features the State’s Attorney addressing

community members and leaders about the office’s role in the criminal

justice process, current community issues and concerns and various

Office initiatives.

• Participated in “National Night Out.” Community Engagement team members participated in 12 National

Night Out events, the annual community-building initiative that promotes police-community partnerships and

neighborhood camaraderie.

• Participated in “Conversations with a Commander”: Community Engagement team members participated in

these conversation events hosted by Chicago Police Department (CPD) Districts 3, 4, 10, 11 and 16.

• Organized a Speaker Bureau Series in which Community Engagement team members conducted 100

informational presentations across Cook County in 2022.

FY2023 GOALS

In FY2023, the CCSAO will:

• Continue to invest in transformative technology initiatives to better meet its mission and maintain its

transparency and accountability to Cook County residents by making data easily accessible.

• Continue to invest in hiring initiatives to create a more extensive pipeline of recruits, lateral hires and leaders.

• Continue to work with the other criminal justice stakeholders to implement the Pre-Trial Fairness Act and strive to

meet the ambitious goal of eliminating cash bond.

• Expand its diversion efforts, including several pilot programs, to increase the diversion population and the non-

violent charges eligible for alternatives to prosecution.

• Search for appropriate opportunities to litigate on behalf of the residents of Cook County proactively.

State’s Attorney Foxx at a community event in

the South Shore Neighborhood in September

2022.

Circuit Court of Cook County- Chief Judge

Public Safety

INTRODUCTION

To establish justice is a primary function of government, as declared by the preambles to the Constitutions of the

United States and the State of Illinois. To give substance to that declaration, the 19th-century authors of our new

state’s Constitution included the requirements for a judicial system in Article IV (now Article VI). Today, the Circuit

Court of Cook County is the largest of 24 statewide circuits. The Circuit Court is one of the largest unified court

systems in the world, with more than 400 judges who serve the nearly 5.1 million residents of Cook County within the

City of Chicago and more than 130 surrounding suburbs. About one million cases are filed with the Court each year.

FY2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Overall efforts include improving pretrial services operations, opening a courthouse solely dedicated to domestic

violence matters and expanding the use of courts that address mental health treatment, veterans support, drug

rehabilitation and support to defendants charged with prostitution. The state’s first Restorative Justice Community

Court in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago was opened. In FY2022, working with guidance from public

health officials, the Court oversaw the continued expansion of jury trials while observing public health precautions.

COVID-19 and Resumption of In-Person Operations

The Circuit Court of Cook County continued to operate under substantial modifications in response to COVID-19,

in step with Illinois Supreme Court orders, the governor’s executive orders and directives and publications by Cook

County Department of Public Health, the City of Chicago, other municipalities and the U.S. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC). These modifications were developed with the cooperation of Cook County and other

justice system partners out of an abundance of caution for the health and well-being of prospective jurors, judges,

litigants, witnesses, court visitors and court staff. In the days following the onset of the pandemic, the court began

building the infrastructure to facilitate remote proceedings. Judges and court staff were provided with laptops and

Zoom licenses for videoconferencing and streaming court proceedings live through YouTube. Remote video rooms

have been outfitted and staffed in most court facilities to provide remote access to participants for whom remote

access from other locations was impractical or impossible. These arrangements allowed court involved litigants and

the public to safely join court proceedings and minimize disruption of proceedings and virus transmission.

Jury trials in the civil and criminal divisions resumed in FY2021 and increased by nearly 75% in FY2022. In order

to safely return juries to the courthouses, court personnel worked with health experts from the city and County

to ensure safety and proper distancing and studied best practices from other courts. To achieve distancing,

courtrooms were outfitted with clear, plastic shields to protect judges, witnesses and attorneys; and courtrooms were

reconfigured to allow jurors to sit in both the jury boxes and the spectator areas. The court also secured additional

space to allow jurors to safely gather before receiving courtroom assignments. As a result of these efforts, the court

was able to hold 704 jury trials in all districts in FY2022, including 389 civil cases and 315 criminal cases. The courts

also conducted approximately 115,000 teleconference and videoconference sessions on Zoom, including multi-case

calls, and served 3,242,400 participants, an increase of more than 14% from FY2021.

Additionally, the court implemented an increase in pay for jurors. On June 1, 2022, daily juror pay increased from

$17.20 per day to $35.00 per day, the first such increase in decades.

Problem-Solving Courts and Restorative Justice Courts

The court saw a growing number of success stories in 2022 from its Problem-Solving Courts, Restorative Justice

Community Courts and the Supporting Education and Employment Development (SEED) court. All of these courts

seek to steer individuals away from future criminal activity by getting at the root of the problems that led them into

contact with the justice system. Successful completion of these programs may mean expungement of charges and a

path towards a better life.

The Problem-Solving Courts include Drug Treatment Courts, Veterans’ Treatment Courts and Mental Health Courts.

These courts currently have 400 participants and saw 76 graduates in FY2022. Restorative Justice Community Courts

in Avondale, Englewood and Lawndale empower the community to create solutions to repair harm caused by

crime and conflict, while adjudicating the related case outside of a formal, conventional court setting. Community

representatives work with eligible defendants, generally young adults who are facing non-violent drug-related

charges, to create agreements to facilitate healing as an alternative to punishment. Both felonies and misdemeanors

are heard in these alternative, dispute-resolution-style criminal courts.

This was the second full year for the Avondale and Englewood community courts and the countywide SEED Court

for drug distribution offenses in the Leighton Criminal Courthouse. All of these courts, including the North Lawndale

court started in FY2017, are designed for participants between the ages of 18 and 26 facing nonviolent charges.

The Restorative Justice Community Courts and the SEED Court saw a total of 264 participants and 134 graduates in

FY2022, increases of 39% and 139%, respectively from FY2021.

Lower Court Fees for Adoptions

New, lower court fees for adoption cases in Cook County were implemented in time for National Adoption Day on

November 19. With unanimous support by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, the change lowers the filing

fee for adoptions to $89 from $265. The $89 fee is consistent with DuPage, McHenry and Will Counties, the most

populous counties outside of Cook County.

Juvenile Temporary Detention Center

The Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) has continued to operate through the COVID-19 pandemic. The

JTDC modified its protocols and operations, and special precautions have been taken to protect residents and

staff. The JTDC re-structured “pod” assignments, all new youth admissions are screened for the virus, and those

with symptoms are not admitted. Those without symptoms are quarantined before being allowed contact with the

general population. The JTDC has implemented rigorous bi-weekly COVID-19 testing for employees and staff and

additional tests have been conducted for those who have come in contact with others testing positive. To help staff

cope with the effects of the pandemic and better serve the minors in their care, JTDC human resources provided

vaccinations, on-site testing, a “Mental Wellness Matters” program and the services of a licensed clinical psychologist

for staff.

Meanwhile, the population has remained fairly stable, even as admissions declined during the pandemic.

Admissions increased 22% to 1,936 in FY2022. The average population from FY2019-FY2022 was 177 in FY2019,

175 in FY2020, 168 in FY2021, and 173 in FY2022. New initiatives and goals for the JTDC and justice involved youth

are described below in FY2023 goals.

Probation Case Management System

The court implemented a new digital probation case management system to track probation and pretrial operations

as well as related cashier and contract monitoring. The new system replaced outdated case management systems:

the Juvenile Enterprise Management System (JEMS) developed in the late 1990s, and the Prosecutor’s Management

Information System (PROMIS), which was designed in the 1970s and resided on the Cook County mainframe.

Despite the pandemic, the case management system went live in November 2020 for use by the Juvenile Probation

Department, and in February 2022 for the Adult Probation and Social Service Departments. The new system

Circuit Court of Cook County- Chief Judge

Public Safety

improves supervision of adult and juvenile probationers and pretrial defendants and respondents, upgrades the

quality of information provided to the court and enhances public safety by improving quality assurance, program

evaluation and workload management.

Domestic Violence Court Access

The court successfully implemented access to the domestic violence courts after regular business hours. The pilot

project is intended to both help protect the safety of victims of domestic violence and the rights of those accused.

The court is preparing to have services available to domestic violence victims 24/7, if warranted by the results of the

pilot program.

During the pilot program, petitions for emergency orders of protection are heard both during regular business

hours and, remotely, on Monday through Friday, from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., and Saturdays and Sundays, from 1 p.m. to 6

p.m.

Under the pilot program, petitioners seeking emergency orders of protection can complete online forms developed

in partnership with Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO). After-hours access is available by filing a petition at a dedicated

email address. Information has been posted on the ILAO launch page, advising petitioners requesting these orders

outside of those stated hours to apply by going to the courthouse during regular business hours or by accessing

the after-hours email address for remote video hearings during the established hours. Additionally, if petitioners

want supportive advocacy services, including help with completing the court forms, they have access to an advocate

through Connections for Abused Women and their Children.

Grant Awards

The court has received a number of grant awards from federal, state and private agencies that fund enhancements

to court programs. One of the largest awards is the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) grant from the John D. and

Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The court in collaboration with its Public Safety Fund partners, was awarded a

third round of funding from the foundation to safely reduce the use of local incarceration by reducing the flow of

individuals into jail, shortening lengths of stay and minimizing racial and ethnic disparities in jail populations without

compromising public safety. The funding will be utilized to implement multiple strategies including establishment of

relationships with community residents through dialogue, criminal case reviews to analyze and identify patterns and

opportunities to increase efficiency within the system, treatment referrals and linkage for defendants with long prior

histories, expansion of current diversion programs for emerging adults with drug offenses, addressing warrants and

implementation of data integration to facilitate exchanges and analysis between county stakeholders to support data

driven decision-making. These strategies will be implemented with a focus on addressing racial equity in the criminal

justice system.

Beginning July 1, 2022, the court, with the support of ARPA funding, began to expand services to court-involved

youth and adults, to help reduce recidivism and improve the communities in which they live. Strengthening

Chicago’s Youth (SCY) led these initiatives. SCY is a collaboration with Lurie Children’s Hospital and Cook County

Health to divert justice involved youth into services, matching youth with the appropriate community-based services.

SCY is supported by a ARPA grant award of $7.1 million over 36 months to support the expansion from an 11

Chicago police-district service area to all eligible youth across Cook County. The goals of this project over three

years are to reduce violence and minimize justice involvement of youth who have experienced past violence or

trauma or are at increased risk of exposure to violence and to provide trauma-informed care coordination for 1,500

justice-involved youth, including youth on diversion or youth granted deferred prosecution. Services include intake,

assessment, connection to evidence-based programming and pro-social services, emergency assistance, family

support services and post-discharge monitoring.

Circuit Court of Cook County- Chief Judge

Public Safety

Overall, the court enters the new year with over 20 active grant awards, totaling more than $20 million, with more in

the pipeline.

FY2023 GOALS

• The full development of enhancements at Domestic Violence Court.

• Pending decision on certain legal challenges, implementation of operational changes required by the Pretrial

Fairness Act.

• Continue to enhance court operations through the introduction of new technologies to address the operational

challenges brought on by the pandemic, and supported by the Illinois Supreme Court (Rules 45, 241). These

will include new Webex conference systems to facilitate hybrid proceedings in court and hearing rooms and

courtroom sound system upgrades compatible with remote operations.

• Implementation of new case management system in Public Guardian operations.

Justice Involved Youth

The court will develop and implement a system of Juvenile Redeploy Hubs providing targeted areas in Cook County

with evidence-based community programs that maintain public safety and promote positive outcomes for youth,

supported by a $5.8 million annual grant from the State of Illinois.

In addition, the JTDC will implement improvements based on the recommendations of a blue-ribbon committee

that include:

• All disciplinary confinement in the youth’s room will be limited to 30 minutes, followed by 30 minutes during

which the youth will work with a counselor to complete a rational self-analysis of the behavior that led to the

confinement.

• In response to the concerns expressed regarding room confinement, bedtimes have been moved back by one

hour, with the earliest bedtime now at 8 pm. As soon as practicable, the bedtime of all youth will be moved back

to 9:45 p.m., further reducing the total time youth spend in their rooms.

• Cook County Health mental health staff will partner with consultants to create culturally relevant, trauma-

informed evening programming that will help youth transition to bedtime at 9:45. The programming will

include simple movement and breathing techniques that can benefit even residents with short stays at the

facility. Dr. Obari Cartman, president of the Chicago chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists, will lead

development of programming for boys, and Dr. Keeshawna Brooks, associate professor at the Chicago School

of Professional Psychology, will develop programming for girls.

• Maryville Center for Children Residences has offered to house youth involved in the child welfare system who

would otherwise have prolonged stays at the JTDC, as well as LGBTQ youth.

Circuit Court of Cook County- Chief Judge

Public Safety

Cook County Assessor’s Office

Property and Taxation

INTRODUCTION

The mission of the Cook County Assessor’s Office (Assessor’s Office) is to deliver accurate and transparent

assessments of all residential and commercial properties. The Assessor’s Office serves every community in the

County through ethical stewardship within the property tax system.

The Assessor’s Office achieves its mission through:

• Data integrity

• Teamwork culture

• Distinguished service

High-quality data is essential for fair and equitable assessments. The Assessor’s Office is dedicated to excellence and

integrity in the collection, management and sharing of data to inform our decisions and mirror the market.

We are also committed to enhancing our employees’ skills through modern tools, techniques and training. This

fosters an environment of collaboration and produces the leadership necessary to tackle new opportunities.

Finally, the Assessor’s Office aims to deliver high-caliber services, provide clear and accurate information and seek

feedback to improve the work of the Office so we can support the economic vitality of Cook County.

The work of the Assessor’s Office is guided by Cook County ordinance, which sets out mandates for how residential

and commercial property is assessed as well as the state property tax code, which requires property to be assessed

based on fair market value.

We have adopted a set of administrative policies that go beyond what the statutes require to build transparency in

every part of the office, make services more effective and efficient and earn greater trust from the public.

FY2022 INITIATIVES

Reassessed the North Suburbs of Cook County

Assessments follow a triennial cycle with one-third of the County reassessed each year. In FY2022, the Assessor’s

Office reassessed the north suburbs for the first time since FY2019.

Continued the Implementation of iasWorld

This technological modernization is part of a multi-year process to move the Cook County property tax system from

an outdated mainframe to a modern property tax assessment and billing system, which also allows property owners

to easily access and update property data. The implementation of iasWorld is managed by the Cook County Bureau

of Technology and follows a $30 million investment in new assessment and tax administration technology made by

the Cook County Board in FY2015. The Assessor’s Office is the first to adopt this system.

Launched the Affordable Housing Special Assessment Program

In February 2022 the Assessor’s Office launched the Affordable Housing Special Assessment Program. Created by

state statute, the program incentivizes the rehabilitation and new construction of multi-family residential properties

to create and maintain affordable housing. This program establishes assessment reductions for multifamily rental

developments subjected to certain rent, tenant income and related restrictions.

Engaged With the White House on More Accurate Assessments

Assessor Kaegi, along with assessors across the country, met with

the U.S. Department of Housing and White House staff on the

possibility of opening the uniform appraisal database to public

assessment agencies. This data is maintained by Fannie Mae and

Freddie Mac as part of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Access

to this data would make residential assessments fairer and more

accurate, while also maintaining privacy for property owners.

Released New Data Transparency Tools

Affirming the commitment to transparency and data integrity,

the Assessor’s Office continues to develop and release new tools

and data to the public. From releasing historical assessment

data, providing taxpayers with more insight on the details of their

property and assessments, to simulation tools, the Assessor’s Office continues to enhance its transparency efforts.

FY2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Reassessed the North Suburbs of Cook County

Initial assessments found the property tax base of the north suburbs increased approximately 37% since FY2019.

Reflected in this reassessment are increases in residential sale prices during the pandemic, increases in rent for large

apartment buildings and the ongoing economic effects of COVID-19 on small businesses.

In reassessing the north suburbs, the balance between residential and non-residential property shifted. Prior to

FY2022, 63% of the tax base was in residential property while 37% was in non-residential property. The initial

reassessment of the north suburbs shifted the base to 61% residential and 39% non-residential.

Continue the Implementation of iasWorld

Phase II of the implementation of iasWorld was successfully completed. The major accomplishment was the launch

of Public Access or what is referred to as enhanced property details. This new database includes a greater level

of detail for each property located in Cook County, with property owners able to obtain information such as the

estimated market value, assessed value and property characteristics. New noteworthy features include information

pertaining to permits, divisions and consolidations and the Homeowner Improvement Exemption. Another new

feature is the “Neighborhood Sales” function, which provides current real estate information that can be reviewed

and printed.

Launched Affordable Housing Special Assessment Program

In preparation for launching the program, the Assessor’s Office developed internal operational procedures and

created a new two-part online application. To kick off the program, a series of webinars was conducted to help

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property owners understand and navigate the application process. A total of four webinars, yielding over 1,000

views, can be accessed on the Assessor’s YouTube channel. As of June 30, 2022, over 500 applications were

received and 21 were approved.

Engaged with the White House on More Accurate Assessments

In Spring 2022, Assessor Kaegi and former Chief of Data Samantha Simpson traveled to Washington D.C. to meet

with Special Assistant to the President for Housing and Urban Policy. They discussed the importance of providing

county assessors access to the Universal Appraisal Dataset which will contribute to reducing assessment disparities

nationwide. Additionally, they met with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Senior Advisor to the

Chief Technologist and discussed the importance of the CFPB’s rulemaking on automated valuation models and its

impact on consumers purchasing homes as well as taxpayers building equity.

Released New Data Transparency Tools

• Commercial Valuation Methods Published

This first-of-its-kind reporting offers a transparent look at the mass appraisal methods used for commercial

valuations. Beginning with the City of Chicago, data used to calculate the assessment of every individual

commercial property is now available online. This release includes detailed information on apartment buildings,

hotels, retail and office space and industrial buildings in Chicago. Each spreadsheet can be sorted and analyzed

by property type and township. For each individual building, the data contains: property characteristic data,

data pertaining to the estimated income, expense ratio, vacancy, net operating income (NOI) and capitalization

rate and the estimated market value based on the above data. Property owners can use this data to better

understand the calculation of assessments by the Office. Previously, this information was only available for

specific properties through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. To date, these reports have been

published for the City of Chicago and the north suburbs, totaling 21 townships.

• City of Chicago’s Data Dashboard Released

The Chicago Data Dashboard displays the areas where property assessments rose and fell in every Chicago

neighborhood following the city’s FY2021 reassessment. Taxpayers can view the assessment report for the

City, review assessment changes, view the top 5 highest-dollar properties in each neighborhood and compare

assessments between neighborhoods and property types.

• 20 Years of Historic Assessment Data Published

In June 2022, the Assessor’s Office published millions of rows of data on Cook County’s Open Data Portal. Users

can filter the data by Property Index Number (PIN), export information, create visualizations and connect to the

data using an application programming interface (API). These datasets will automatically update periodically with

new information as it is entered into iasWorld, the Assessor’s Office’s modernized assessment system of record.

To promote the release of 20 years of assessment information, the Assessor’s Data Department hosted an “Ask

Me Anything” session on Reddit. The team answered live questions about these datasets, Chicago’s FY2021

reassessment, the Assessor’s Office’s reassessment models and more.

Property Tax Simulator Software Code Package - PTAXSIM

The PTAXSIM, is a software code package designed to recalculate changes to Cook County property tax bills. It

uses real assessment, exemption, TIF and levy data to generate historic, line-by-line tax bills for any Cook County

property from tax years FY2006 to FY2020 (for bills issued from FY2007 through FY2021). PTAXSIM allows the user to

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Property and Taxation

recalculate and analyze single or multiple historic tax bills simultaneously. The Assessor’s Data Department created

the database by extracting already-public tax levy and rate data published by the Cook County Clerk, which was then

combined with previously unpublished data.

Increases in Hiring

In FY2022, the Office hired 14 full-time staff for the Valuations Department, which is the core function of the

Office. This hiring is part of the recommended changes made in a FY2019 operational audit of the Office by

the International Association of Assessing Officers. In FY2022 the Assessor’s Office hired a total of 31 full-time

employees across all departments.

Continuing to Simplify the Exemption Process

As part of its response to COVID-19, the Illinois legislature approved the continued auto-renewal of three property

tax exemptions: senior freeze, persons with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. To further streamline the

exemption process, the exemptions and certificate of error applications, the most common applications used by

taxpayers, were redesigned and consolidated. Over 10 forms were eliminated and consolidated into two simple

online and over the counter applications, reducing redundancy and paperwork for homeowners.

As part of its auditing efforts, the Office collected more than $5.6 million dollars in FY2022 from people receiving tax

exemptions for which they were not eligible. The Assessor’s Office collected the funds from taxpayers who did not

meet the state eligibility requirements and from estates of those who were recently deceased. Approximately $3.9

million was refunded back to communities in Cook County to pay for services such as schools, parks, libraries and

first responders. The balance of revenue collected funds the erroneous exemptions department which tracks and

collects these funds at no cost to taxpayers.

Enhanced Public Engagement

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Office maintained its high caliber of public service by conducting

both in-person and virtual outreach events for property owners. A total of 142 outreach events were conducted,

including appeal seminars, exemptions presentations and appearances by Assessor Kaegi with neighborhood

groups, business associations and religious organizations. A total of 103 events took place in-person and 39 virtually.

Additionally, each of the thirteen townships located in the north suburbs or Cook County, that were reassessed in

FY2022, had their own virtual event that included customized data specific to the township and educational material

on how to determine if an assessment appeal should be filed. The virtual sessions are available on the township’s

unique webpage and the Assessor’s YouTube channel.

Customer service through the internet and social media continues to grow. In FY2022, 3,072 messages were

received via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. The biggest growth came from messages received via

Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Overall, there has been a 20% audience increase across social media platforms and

the engagement rate per impression has increased across all platforms, except for LinkedIn. Viewers are consuming

more video content as video views on Twitter are up 271.9%, 104.3% on Instagram and 6.9% on YouTube.

This year the Assessor’s Office joined the NextDoor platform. There are 800,267 members and 1,625 neighborhoods

on the platform. NextDoor reaches a unique audience that is often their only form of social media. Using geotarget

methods, messages were posted to townships that were being reassessed to communicate overall exemptions and

certificate of error announcements.

Outbound communication efforts continue to progress to relay vital news pertaining to property owners. For the first

time, quick response (QR) codes were added to educational material and letters allowing property owners to sign

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Property and Taxation

up to receive news from the Assessor’s Office. Additionally, an opt-in option was added to exemption applications,

yielding just over 10,000 new emails. This will allow the Assessor’s Office to begin to build a customer service

database that may lead to targeted message campaigns. In FY2022, 89 newsletters were sent to public subscribers

and distribution lists made up of homeowners, partner agencies, local government offices and media outlets.

Newsletter subscription grew by 34%, has an average open rate of 47.1% and 6.3% click rate, exceeding industry

standards for government agencies.

Awards and Recognition

The Assessor’s Office received four awards from a combination of the National Association of Counties (NACo)

and International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) in the following categories: information technology,

civic education and public information and county administration and management. The Assessor’s Office was

recognized for the following achievements.

1. Bringing Fairness and Transparency in Property Assessments

The Data Department was recognized for creating an in-house residential valuation model using free

software and open-source algorithms that outperforms the assessment industry standard linear models, with

improvements in equity.

2. Conversations about Racial Equity and Real Estate Initiative

Over the past two years, the Assessor’s Office conducted a series of discussions about

how race impacts our work as assessors. These discussions have also explored the ways

race and governmental actions have historic and current impacts on local real estate

markets. Through these virtual “Racial Equity and Real Estate” conversations, experts

from Princeton University, The University of Chicago and Duke University joined local

community developers, realtors and artists for a series of rich and unique discussions.

3. Senior Citizens Aren’t Getting any Younger

Prior to Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s administration, seniors were required to apply for

the Senior Exemption every year, proving they are still over the age of 65. Assessor

Fritz Kaegi championed a bill that amends the Illinois Property Tax Code so that a

homeowner who has been granted a Senior Exemption will not need to reapply for the

exemption each year.

FY2023 GOALS

Reassess the South and West Suburbs

First reassessed under Assessor Kaegi in FY2020, the reassessment of the south and west suburbs in FY2023 will

update assessed values for residential and commercial property. The final values will reflect three years of real estate

market growth, new construction and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Implement iasWorld Phase III

In FY2023, the full initial implementation of iasWorld will be completed and the Assessor’s Office is expected to

have fully transitioned from legacy systems. This includes the rollout of additional public filings and processing of

exemptions and certificates of error through IAS.

Cook County Assessor’s Office

Property and Taxation

Cook County Assessor’s Office

Property and Taxation

Continue to Release and Enhance Data Transparency Tools

The Assessor’s Office will continue its commitment to data transparency by refining and enhancing currently

available tools, such as residential and commercial valuation reports, making them more user-friendly and easier to

navigate. Additionally, the Assessor’s Data Department will continue to iterate the residential model for FY2023 by

working with valuation experts.

Expand Exemptions through Communication Efforts

Through communication and outreach efforts, the Assessor’s Office plans to increase awareness to homeowners

about property tax exemptions. A public campaign around exemptions including phone banking, targeted

advertisements, public service announcements and targeted messaging will be launched.

Expand Outreach Efforts to Business Owners

Outreach efforts this year will emphasize reaching small businesses and commercial owners to explain how

commercial properties are assessed and to collaborate on how to ensure that their properties are being assessed

fairly and accurately. Additionally, the Affordable Housing Special Assessment Program will continue, and reductions

will appear on the second installment tax bill issued in FY2023. Lastly, civic engagement efforts will increase with

local municipalities prior to assessments to foster over-the-top marketing (OTT).

Focus on Hiring Efforts

In FY2023 the Assessor’s Office has a goal of hiring 80 full-time employees across all departments and experience

levels.

Cook County Board of Review

Property and Taxation

INTRODUCTION

The Cook County Board of Review (CCBOR) provides the taxpayers of Cook County with an opportunity to appeal

the valuation of their property assessments. We are statutorily authorized by the State of Illinois to review all

assessment appeals and make corrections to property valuations due to over or undervaluation by the Cook County

Assessor’s Office.

The goal at the Board of Review is to be accessible to all residents and provide an accurate and fair analysis of

property valuations, while promoting equity among property owners within the County. In addition, the CCBOR

defends its assessment decisions at the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, which saves Cook County Government,

Forest Preserves and all taxing bodies in Cook County millions of dollars annually.

The Board of Review is an important link in the property tax chain and strives to complete the Office’s work in a

timely manner to ensure the distribution of tax dollars to schools, libraries, municipalities and other essential services

is not interrupted.

The Board of Review is made up of three elected commissioners from separate districts and is vested with quasi-

judicial powers to adjudicate taxpayer complaints. Additionally, the Board recommends exempt status of real

property for all property types. District 1 is represented by the BOR Chairman, Commissioner George A. Cardenas,

District 2 by Commissioner Samantha Steele, and District 3 by Commissioner Larry Rogers, Jr.

In addition to the elected commissioners, there is a staff of 156 full-time employees tasked with reviewing each

appeal with careful consideration to ensure fair and impartial judgment of tax property assessments. Each

assessment appeal filed requires a majority ruling from the commissioners to affect a change in valuation. Therefore,

each commissioner’s staff reviews and rules on every one of the more than 250,000 appeals that comes before the

CCBOR each year.

The Board of Review Commissioners invite the taxpayers of Cook County to file an appeal if they believe the value

of their property has been incorrectly assessed. The appeal process has been streamlined to meet the needs of the

people. Please review the website at

www.cookcountyboardofreview.com

to pre-register, file an appeal or better

understand the appeal process.

FY2022 INITIATIVES

Operations and Appeals

Due to COVID-19, the CCBOR conducted the entire FY2022 appeal session remotely. Of the more than 1.8 million

property parcels located in Cook County, 537,618 of them were involved in assessment appeals. The Board

of Review adjudicated 248,899 individual complaints, which was a slight increase from the previous triannual

reassessment in FY2019, that accounted for 245,747 appeals. The FY2022 session included an increase of 4,053

commercial appeals when compared to the last reassessment of the City of Chicago in FY2019.

In addition to moving the analysis of appeals to a remote environment, the CCBOR’s IT department developed

a remote process for all requested assessment appeal hearings. The CCBOR incorporated existing budgeted

technology and held hearings using Microsoft Teams and Cisco Jabber software to replicate office phone use.

The Chief Clerk’s staff also implemented a case management system to proactively contact appellants who had

requested hearings. During these conversations employees explained the appeal process, reviewed evidence

submission and answered other non-valuation questions from appellants. This initiative was highly successful and

provided a robust level of service to Cook County residents while allowing the Board’s analysts to focus on the

valuation details of an appeal. As a result of this newly implemented process, the number of in-person hearings

was reduced by more than 50%. Efficiencies and increased levels of service created by this system have continued

through the reopening of the County and the CCBOR offices. All hearings for the FY2022 tax year appeal session will

remain remote.

FY2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Use of Technology to Create Management Efficiencies

The Board of Review is constantly innovating and analyzing ways to improve the system. The Board has moved from

an arcane paper-based system to an award-winning digital workflow and constituent interface. Since its creation and

implementation in FY2015, the Digital Appeals Processing System (DAPS) has created a more efficient workflow.

The investment in the DAPS application has allowed the CCBOR to eliminate the cumbersome paper-based process

and implement management-level innovations, based on analytical data, and technology-based solutions for office-

to-office data transfers. These efficiencies have saved weeks in each session and made downstream offices more

efficient as well.

Customer service initiatives included a password reset utility for the CCBOR portal. This has allowed the Chief

Clerk’s Office to repurpose staff who traditionally spent a significant amount of time assisting taxpayers over the

phone or by email resolving this issue. Additionally, The Chief Clerk’s Department has implemented several process

improvements that have maximized efficiency and contributed to the overall productivity of the Board. We have

digitized the exemption document submission process with the creation of the Exemption Upload Center, digitized

the intervenor document submission process with the creation of the Intervenor Upload Center and improved upon

the existing Potential Consultant process by implementing workflow queues, taxpayer outreach and increased

correspondence.

FY2023 GOALS

Integrated Property Tax System/Divergence from the Mainframe

The Board of Review is in the process of replacing mainframe reliance with the Integrated Property Tax System (IPTS)

repository and plans to sever mainframe dependency by Q4 of FY2023. The CCBOR has commenced a data analysis

project to determine all data interface dependencies between the Assessor’s Office and the Board of Review. The

result of this analysis will be the implementation of a fully integrated shared data repository between the Assessor’s

Office and the CCBOR. The Board of Review will work to develop the bridge that will allow the seamless transfer of

data between the Assessor’s Office and the CCBOR and implement it into the current systems. The Board will begin

parallel testing in the summer of FY2023 to ensure that the new conduits are working properly before retiring the

prior technology. These interfaces will replace the mainframe conduit which both the Assessor and CCBOR currently

rely on, and the CCBOR will be fully integrated with IPTS by Q4 2023.

Automated Valuation Model (AVM)

The Board of Review is currently exploring other technological enhancements to streamline and improve

overvaluation appeals. The potential implementation of an automated valuation model (AVM) processing system for

residential properties is one such enhancement. An AVM is a tool that uses algorithms and a variety of data sources,

such as property characteristics and comparable sales data, to estimate the value of a property. AVMs provide a

more accurate and efficient way of assessing property values than traditional methods, such as in-person inspections.

This is because AVMs can quickly analyze a large amount of data, which can help reduce errors and inconsistencies

in property valuations. It can also consider factors such as property condition and location, which can have a

Cook County Board of Review

Property and Taxation

Cook County Board of Review

Property and Taxation

significant impact on a property’s value and can be used to quickly identify properties that are potentially being

over-assessed for tax purposes.

By providing more accurate property valuations, AVMs will ensure that property taxes are fairer and more equitable.

It would help alleviate the financial impact of gentrification on long term residents and promote geographical equity

which has largely been overlooked in minority communities. Additionally, it would allow the Board of Review to

process residential appeals more efficiently and reduce the number of appeals heard.

Digital Appeals Processing System (DAPS) Enhancements

Since its inception, DAPS has created a more efficient workflow and the CCBOR is constantly innovating and

analyzing ways to increase its efficiency. The CCBOR is committed to defending the County’s real estate assessments

at the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB), which saves millions of dollars annually for various taxing bodies.

The CCBOR is implementing enhancements to the PTAB workflow in its DAPS application which will continue to

improve appeal processing, maintenance and data transfer.

Informational Transparency

In FY2022, the Board of Review began publishing appeal-related data for all certified values of properties

adjudicated at the CCBOR on the Cook County Open Data Portal. This has improved the public’s confidence in our

analysis and allows greater transparency in the work the Board of Review does on behalf of the residents of Cook

County. Making this information publicly available has allowed the Board of Review to direct residents requesting

this data to the Open Data Portal. Previously, these requests would have been submitted through the FOIA process

which would have required numerous work hours for County employees preparing responses. Taxpayers may view

the final decision rendered and any CCBOR analyst’s notes. The CCBOR is proud that it frequently responds to FOIA

requests more quickly than the statute requires.

Cook County Clerk’s Office

Property and Taxation

INTRODUCTION

Overview of the Office

The Cook County Clerk’s Office is committed to providing quality and efficient service to the public in our four major

divisions: Vital Records, Real Estate and Tax Services, Elections and Recording Operations. In addition, the Office

manages an Election Operations Center which houses our election equipment and Clerk records. There are six

funds, including our Corporate Fund and five Special Funds: Elections, Automation, Document Storage, GIS and

Real Estate Housing.

The focus for the office for FY2022 continues to be efficiency in operations, advocacy, cybersecurity and accuracy.

The Clerk is the Chief Election Authority for all towns and villages in suburban Cook County, which total more than

125 individual communities. This includes providing all voting information and services to the public, including voter

registration, mail voting, early voting and election day voting.

FY2022 INITIATIVES

Highlights of 2022 – Vital Records Goals and Objectives

Developing a Department-Wide Retraining of the Vital Records Act for all Vitals Staff

This training would ensure all Vitals staff are consistently applying the Vital Records Act. Due to the process of

establishing “entitlement” for a customer to receive a requested document (i.e., marriage, death or birth), it is

imperative that all staff are up to date and consistent when fulfilling a customer’s request. This has improved the

overall customer experience.

Developing a Methodology to Use a “Kiosk” to Request Vital Records

Vital Records is researching modern technologies that would allow customers to request vital records without having

to come into a “brick and mortar” facility. Documents could be requested remotely via kiosks, at libraries or other

non-governmental facilities.

Enhancing the Online Marriage Process to Include Electronic Signatures and Other Advanced

Technologies

This process would allow a customer to apply for and receive a Marriage License without having to enter a “brick

and mortar” facility. The customer could apply for and electronically sign the marriage license application from

any computer. After completing a virtual authentication process, the customer would be able to print the marriage

license on their home printer. Lastly, the customer could mail or bring in their completed license and receive their

Marriage Certificate.

Streamlining Notary Seals Processing in Vital Records

In FY2022 (July), the Secretary of State (SOS) changed the way Notary Commissions are processed by Vital Records.

After June 30, 2022, Vital Records no longer sends the “signature card” customers have become accustomed to

receiving. Starting in July 2022, the Secretary of State (SOS) began processing all notary applications. This required

a transitional period for the customer as they are used to the County sending them the signature card (by mail or

in person), then the customer would receive their notary certificate. By virtue of a Memorandum of Understanding

with SOS, Cook County will receive a completed list of notary applicants each month from the SOS, after which the

County will send the customer their notary certificate (by mail or in person).

Efficiencies in Vital Records

In FY2021, the Vital Records Division implemented several significant physical, workflow and technological changes

to enhance the customer experience and improve efficiency. The division relocated from 50 W. Washington Street

to 118 N. Clark Street, Suite #120 as part of the Clerk’s “assumption of duties.” Sharing the suite with our Recording

Operations Division improved our visibility and access to customers. In addition, the office migrated from a legacy

notary approval platform to a web-based platform. The system affords automated tracking of Annual Notary

Commissions, reducing errors and resulting in faster turnaround. Vital Records instituted a new print process for all

Marriage, Birth, Civil Union, Death front-counter and back-office purchases. The new “Virtual Records Printer” was

deployed and reduced paper waste, enhanced security paper tracking and reduced spoilage. It also eliminated

manual intervention by providing better security paper printing templates. These and other improvements have

created greater efficiencies.

Highlights of FY2022 – Recording Operations Division Goals and Objectives

The Recording Operations Division is responsible for accurately recording, storing and maintaining land records and

other official documents in perpetuity for public viewing and retrieval. These functions facilitate home ownership,

mortgage lending and land conveyances and encumbrances.

Recordings are contingent upon the overall real estate market. From FY2021 to FY2022, total recordings decreased

by 33%. Cook County remained a sellers’ market in FY2022. However, with higher interest rates and inflation, the

housing market experienced a slight decline. Customers continue to utilize e-Recording as a virtual method for

recording their documents. E-Recordings continue to represent 80% of the division’s overall recordings in 2022.

Cook County Clerk’s Office

Property and Taxation

The Clerk’s office encompasses several entities designed to advocate for the public:

• The Property Fraud Unit which assists individuals who are victims of fraudulent recordings against their

properties and coordinate law enforcement efforts on their behalf. The Clerk’s Office offers Property Fraud Alert

to make homeowners aware of any recordings against their property index number (PIN) via text, e-mail or mail.

• The Veterans’ Service Office, which assists military veterans and their families with the recordation and retrieval of

their military discharge papers as well as managing the Military and Veteran’s Discount Program.

• In October 2022, the Clerk’s office launched its Legal Helpdesk. The County Clerk’s office partnered with legal

aid attorneys from the Center for Disability and Elder Law (CDEL) to assist customers with free legal advice for

matters such as the recording of deeds, liens, Transfer of Death Instruments (TODI), chain of title, land records

and other recording concerns.

The County Clerk’s Office’s dedication to the mission of advocacy continues as the Clerk assists property owners

who propose to have unlawful restrictive covenant language redacted from their property’s chain of title. The Clerk’s

Office submits the restrictive covenant modification to the State’s Attorney, who determines if the language should

be stricken from the record. If the State’s Attorney finds that an unlawful restrictive covenant exists, upon notification

the Clerk’s Office will redact the language in the document and officially record the revised document into the

property’s chain of title.

The Recording Operations Division diligently and consistently reviews all processes, procedures and overall

workflows to enhance our efficiency and accuracy. The division has improved the online customer experience

with a streamlined online database, allowing customers to search and retrieve documents from 1985 to present

via our website, reducing revenue slippage, refunds and transmission errors. Recording Operations are in search

of a vendor to digitize our archival records. This initiative will allow the division to circumvent the impact of the

“degradation of time” on our historical records and workflow, mitigate our trips to the warehouse, eliminate a

backlog of requests as well as preserve the archival content.

Cook County Clerk’s Office

Property and Taxation

Highlights of 2022 – Technology Enhancements Goals and Objectives

Several key projects reached milestones this past year:

• Clerk Recording System (CRS): The Clerk’s in-house IT deployed Phase 1 of the project in three months

thoroughly modernizing the public document search and purchase mechanism. The team also released an

updated version of the Property Fraud Alert system that substantially improves our internal management

controls.

• Cashiering: The Tax Services Division (TSD) went live with Phase 1 of an integrated Cashiering and Document

Management system.

• E-Pollbook: The Elections Division successfully implemented a new electronic poll book system for checking in

voters at all polling places and early voting centers.

• Cybersecurity: The Cybersecurity team completed the implementation of the Edgewise product to prevent

ransomware infections, deployed two-factor authentication for the entire office and successfully implemented

and tested our cloud-based backup and recovery system for all election-related systems, thus further protecting

against ransomware attacks.

For FY2023 we will focus on:

• Completion of the CRS for Recording Operations (three more phases to complete).

• Completion of cashiering for TSD.

• Deployment of the new Microsoft Dynamics GP system for accounting and general ledger.

• Development of an enhanced, mobile friendly system for online marriage applications.

• Development of an online portal for TSD for taking payments and delivering records for the tax buyer/seller

operation.

• Continued network and hardware upgrades along with continuing support for cybersecurity.

• Continued support for Elections, including any special elections.

Highlights of 2022 - Elections

The 2022 gubernatorial primary and general elections were safe, fair and robust. Early voting in suburban Cook

County was expanded to more than 50 locations. In addition, a super site location at Chicago’s Union Station was

added for suburban commuters.

Voters cast their ballots on any day of the week leading up to Election Day and visited the early voting locations to

vote early, register to vote or drop off their mail ballot at a secure drop box.

Cook County Elections implemented the Post-Census Redistricting of:

Cook County Commissioner Districts United States Congressional Districts

State Senate Districts Board of Review Districts

State Representative Districts

Cook County Clerk’s Office

Property and Taxation

Cook County Clerk’s Office

Property and Taxation

The Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the Clerk’s Office proposal to reduce the number of election

precincts in suburban Cook County by 10% to eliminate redundancies and increase efficiencies in election

operations.

The measure did not reduce the number or location of suburban polling places and was implemented by the

Clerk’s Office in FY2022 for the Illinois gubernatorial primary and general elections. The reduction is in response to

significant shifts in voting trends in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has resulted in substantial increases in

early voting and mail voting and a decline in election-day voting.

The measure eliminated a total of 169 suburban voting precincts, reducing the total number of precincts by 10%,

from 1,599 to 1,430. The proposal, which was supported by the Cook County League of Women Voters, will merge

all or parts of precincts together but will not cut the number of polling places.

Pre-election voting in all its forms continued to trend upward with an increasing number of voters choosing to vote

early or by mail. Early voting and mail voting accounted for 40.1% of all ballots cast in last June’s gubernatorial

primary, which was a record high for a midterm election. In the November gubernatorial general election, over

220,000 early votes and 124,000 mail ballots were cast. Suburban Cook County accounted for over 743,000 votes

and turned out more votes than any other election authority in Illinois.

Like many election jurisdictions across the nation, Cook County elections faced a crisis due to a critical shortage of

election judges. In fact, the number of judges had dropped about 40% over the last eight years.

The Clerk made a special appeal to military veterans to ask them to join our branch of service to work as election

judges. Of course, the veterans answered the call. In just three weeks, more than 2,000 Cook County residents came

forward to sign up to serve as election judges, putting us in a much more comfortable position to staff our 1,439

precinct locations.

The Clerk’s Office continues to be recognized nationally as a leading election authority in matters of cybersecurity.

Elections continued to invest in ongoing training for the election teams so that they remain on the cutting edge to

manage ever-evolving cybersecurity threats. Elections continued to roll out cybersecurity software systems to prevent

hacker intrusion, hacker movement networks and phishing threats.

In FY2022, Elections rolled out new, state-of-the-art equipment for Cook County voters for both elections. These

stand-alone systems use a secure Apple iPad application to facilitate voter check-in at all our polling place locations

in suburban Cook County. These devices helped tremendously in streamlining the voting process because they

eliminated the need for large computer poll books. The individual systems are equipped to access individual voter’s

registration information, verify their signature and make sure that they are issued the proper ballot on election day.

FY2023 GOALS

Highlights of 2022 – Real Estate and Tax Services Goals and Objectives

The overall Real Estate and Tax Services redemption process consists of 80% face-to-face, over-the-counter services,

yet is 100% paper based. We implemented a new cashiering system that streamlined our records management

requirements, reducing the need for hard copies to be physically saved. In addition, Real Estate and Tax Services

began accepting credit and debit cards for the first time in FY2021.

Cook County Clerk’s Office

Property and Taxation

In December 2022, 78% of levy documents were filed via the online portal from more than 1,400 taxing agencies.

During FY2021, a total 2,893 levies, budgets and financial reports and other documents were filed via the online

portal, a 19% increase over the 2,426 documents filed electronically in FY2021.

The Office completed several outreach events during FY2022 to school district managers, promoting the usage of

the system.

In FY2023, it is anticipated that the new cashiering system will go live, and in FY2024, we anticipate the same for the

Integrated Property Tax System.

Cook County Treasurer’s Office

Property and Taxation

INTRODUCTION

The Cook County Treasurer’s Office (CCTO) oversees the second-largest property tax collection and distribution

system in the United States. Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas is responsible for collecting, safeguarding,

investing and distributing property tax funds. This includes printing and mailing bills based on the data provided

by other County and state agencies on assessments, exemptions and tax rates; collecting $16.1 billion each year in

taxes from the owners of more than 1.8 million parcels of property; and distributing the tax funds to approximately

2,200 local government agencies that have the jurisdiction to collect taxes. The agencies include school districts,

villages, cities, townships, park and forest preserve systems, libraries, public health and safety agencies, election

authorities, economic development agencies and bonds to pay for public-works projects.

FY2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The CCTO has made community outreach a major focus over the past several years and will continue to do so in the

future. In recent years, the office has focused on improving the webpage to provide taxpayers with an easy way to

submit payments online, check payment status, download electronic tax bills, search for refunds, check property tax

exemptions, contact the Treasurer’s Office and more. In FY2022 through September, the website was visited nearly

6.3 million times. The website is also mobile accessible and since December of 2017, it has almost 8.4 million visits

from mobile users.

The Treasurer’s Office had 250 employees in FY1998 but, through automation efforts over the last 20 years, now

operates with fewer than 60 filled positions. This reduction saved $42.8 million in FY2022 alone. This is one of the

reasons the Treasurer’s Office is able to fund 94% of its budget with commercial user fees, only utilizing taxpayer

dollars for 6% of spending. The decreasing amount of taxpayer dollars requested by the Treasurer’s Office annually

since FY2001 is shown on following page. The goal of the office is to be entirely self-funded and independent of any

taxpayer-funded sources.

Black and Latine Houses Matter

This year the Cook County Treasurer’s Office continued “Black and Latine Houses Matter,” an intensive effort to

prevent properties with delinquent taxes in predominantly African American areas from being sold at the tax sale.

Automatic Refunds

Since November of 2018 the CCTO automatically issued refunds to bank or credit card accounts for nearly 121,000

taxpayers, totaling $82 million, which eliminated the need for taxpayers to fill out a paper refund application.

Through the Stop Taxpayer Over Payment System (STOPS), the Treasurer’s Office has stopped and returned $533

million in duplicate payments since FY2010.

Release of Maps of Inequality

From Redlining to Urban Decay and the Black Exodus: The office released a study in July 2022 that details how

federal government-sanctioned housing discrimination from the 1940s led to urban decay and the subsequent

exodus of Blacks from Chicago and other major U.S. cities.

Vacant and abandoned properties in the Chicago area are located almost exclusively in areas where the majority

Black, majority Latine or majority-minority populations are declining.

• The Treasurer’s Office recommends replacing the Scavenger Sale with a fairer, more effective system for

restoring distressed properties. Of the 27,358 properties offered at the FY2022 Scavenger Sale, 14,085 were

located in the redlined boundaries of the 1940 federal map.

Release of the Sale in Error Study

In October 2022, the office released a first-of-its-kind study showing how wealthy investors from around the country

have exploited a loophole in Illinois’ property tax law to make millions of dollars in profits, largely at the expense of

poor Black and Latine communities.

The loophole can be found in an arcane subsection of the property tax law that tax investors had helped rewrite for

their benefit.

Cook County Treasurer’s Office

Property and Taxation

The Treasurer’s Office has recommended that the state law be revamped and that county agencies tighten up their

own procedures to reduce tax investors’ profits.

• Investors have drained a total of $277.5 million from Cook County municipalities in the past seven years.

Increased Payment Channels

In FY1998, there were two ways to pay property taxes: by mail to the Treasurer’s Office or in person at one of six

offices belonging to the Treasurer. Today, there are nine methods: by mail to a lockbox, in person at Chase, at

community banks, at the Treasurer’s Office, through Automatic Clearing House (ACH), through wire payments by

Third Party Agents, online, through credit card or through subsequent taxes by tax buyers. Over the last several

years, even bank branch in-person payments have declined substantially, as taxpayers utilize online and third-party

options to streamline their experience.

FY2023 GOALS

Looking Ahead

In the next few years, the Treasurer’s Office will introduce additional

enhancements and efficiencies for commercial payers who utilize the Treasurer’s

customized bulk payment channels. The initiatives aim to provide commercial

payers, specifically mortgage companies, title companies and banks, with access

to electronic data and statistics to better serve their individual taxpaying customers

and thereby reduce errors and duplicate payments.

In addition, the Treasurer’s Office supports President Preckwinkle’s initiative to

replace the MIS Mainframe with an Integrated Property Tax System (IPTS), which

will be used by all property tax offices. This IPTS would eliminate the antiquated

MIS Mainframe with limited functionality, combine all data for each parcel into one

unified system and allow for real-time updates instead of nightly batch jobs.

Cook County Treasurer’s Office

Property and Taxation

Cook County Land Bank Authority

Economic Development

INTRODUCTION

The Cook County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA) works to reduce and return vacant land and abandoned buildings

into reliable and sustainable community assets. CCLBA was formed by a Cook County ordinance in FY2013 to

address the large inventory of vacant residential, industrial and commercial property within the area. CCLBA’s

mission is to acquire, hold and transfer interest in real estate property throughout Cook County to promote

redevelopment and reuse of vacant, abandoned, foreclosed or tax-delinquent properties while supporting targeted

efforts to stabilize neighborhoods and stimulate residential, commercial and industrial development.

FY2022 INITIATIVES

The CCLBA has acquired 3,356 properties since its inception nine years ago, and of these, over 47% or 1,589

have been sold. Approximately 1,145 have been successfully rehabbed and 1,119 are now reoccupied and back

to productive and sustainable use. In documenting the final end-use for these reoccupied properties, 97.7% of all

reoccupied properties have been sold/acquired for homeownership. This last statistic is tremendously exciting as

CCLBA continues to surpass its 75% homeownership goal on an annual basis, even in communities where CCLBA

was told homeownership was not a viable real estate strategy. The community wealth number, which represents

actual dollars that are brought into the areas where these properties are rehabbed, has continued to climb to $160.8

million. Combining that with the $20.4 million that has been redeemed through the Tax Certificate Program and

the nearly $35.8 million in delinquent taxes that have been reset, the CCLBA has made over $217 million dollars in

impact throughout Cook County since its first acquired property in FY2014.

FY2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

CCLBA acquired 444 properties in FY2022, which represents 13% of all acquisitions since its inception. In addition,

253 properties were sold to private buyers in FY2022, which closely aligns with CCLBA’s goals for this year. In the

same time period, 193 rehabs were successfully completed, representing 16.8% of all finished rehabs. CCLBA

completed two demolitions this year, which were primarily from grant-funded programs such as the Abandoned

Properties Program (APP) and flood buyout programs administered by Cook County’s Bureau of Economic

Development.

Cook County Land Bank Authority

Economic Development

FY2023 GOALS

For FY2023, the Cook County Land Bank is looking to bolster and leverage its partnerships with focus municipalities

and organizations that have demonstrable experience in fostering economic development throughout the County.

CCLBA will continue to focus on specific projects and community areas where existing partners are already working.

The CCLBA would like to increase community engagement and public information efforts around current operations

and its positive impact to the communities that are currently being served.

Office of the Independent Inspector General

Other

INTRODUCTION

The Office of the Independent Inspector General (OIIG) was created by ordinance in FY2007. The mission of the

OIIG is to detect, deter and prevent corruption, fraud, waste, mismanagement, unlawful political discrimination and

other misconduct in the operations of Cook County Government with integrity, independence, professionalism and

respect for both the rule of law and the people we serve. The OIIG conducts investigations and issues findings and

recommendations to Cook County government officials. The OIIG also investigates potential criminal violations

involving the conduct of Cook County employees acting in their official capacities and refers such matters for

prosecution. Because the OIIG is a fact-finding agency, it cannot dictate a legal outcome. The OIIG also serves as

a liaison between the County and outside law enforcement authorities and prosecutorial agencies when cases are

referred.

FY2022 INITIATIVES

Among its initiatives in FY2022, the OIIG modified and improved its case management system to enhance its

technological capabilities and reduce reliance on paper files. The OIIG also renewed an intergovernmental

agreement with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to provide inspector general

oversight services for an additional year. In addition, the OIIG also entered into a memorandum of understanding

with the Clerk of the Circuit Court Inspector General to perform joint investigations on certain cases.

FY2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In FY2022, the OIIG processed a total of 934 complaints from government employees, those who do business with

Cook County and residents of the County, which resulted in the issuance of a total of 59 summary investigative

reports. The summary investigative reports are the culmination of individual complaint investigations, which

typically include witness and subject interviews and document and records analysis. At the conclusion of the

investigative process, findings are made which either sustain or do not sustain the complaint allegations. A

summary investigative report is then issued which may contain recommendations for disciplinary or other remedial

action. Investigations that identify deficiencies in policy or procedures or systemic deficiencies may also result in

recommendations that address such shortcomings and promote efficiency and effectiveness in government. Once

an investigation is completed and a summary investigative report is issued to the involved agency or department,

that agency or department has 45 days to provide a response to the Inspector General’s recommendations. If the

agency or department chooses not to follow the OIIG’s recommendations, the agency or department head must

provide a detailed explanation supporting that decision. The respective governmental agency’s failure to follow a

recommendation will be noted in the OIIG’s quarterly report.

FY2023 GOALS

The OIIG will continue to focus its resources toward identifying fraud, waste, corruption, mismanagement, unlawful

political discrimination and other misconduct within Cook County Government and among those doing business

with Cook County. The Office will continue to focus available resources on those areas of importance to Cook

County Government including procurement matters, effective personnel management as well as identifying areas

to improve functionality throughout the government. These activities support the efficient use of Cook County

resources and promote honesty, professionalism and transparency in the operation of Cook County and the Forest

Preserves.

Office of the Public Administrator

Other

INTRODUCTION

The Office of the Public Administrator for Cook County (OPA) oversees the administration of estates for deceased

Cook County residents who have no available family to administer their estate, did not leave a will or named an

executor incapable, unavailable or disqualified to serve. The duties of the Public Administrator’s Office include securing

decedents’ residences and personal property, settling final bills or claims of the decedent and finding and protecting

any additional assets the decedent may have owned. These duties are set forth in the Probate Act at 755 ILCS 5/13-4.

Once appointed to act as an administrator, the Public Administrator administers estates under the supervision of the

Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

FY2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The OPA works closely with other Cook County and state agencies to ensure decedents’ estates are not subject to

waste or loss. That effort begins with our investigators, who investigate on average 1,412 cases each year to safeguard

decedents’ property and inquire as to a decedent’s next of kin. In FY2022, the OPA opened new estates for 92

individuals and continued the probate of over 400 others, which involves determining a decedent’s heirship, filing with

the Probate Court to act as an estate’s administrator and collecting decedent’s assets for liquidation and distribution to

heirs where possible.

In keeping with previous years, the OPA exceeded its FY2022 budget target and returned over $14 million to heirs

and beneficiaries via the OPA’s estate administration. The OPA has returned over $124 million to heirs from FY2016 to

FY2022.

FY2022 INITIATIVES

The Office is consistently revising policies to be as efficient and

environmentally conscious as possible. The OPA has acquired

updated case management and accounting software that will

reduce printing and paper waste as well as postage costs and the

environmental impact associated.

The number of investigations carried out by the OPA remained

above average in FY2022. To maintain the level of service in this

area, an in-house investigator has pivoted to in-field investigations.

The OPA continues its initiative to determine whether unclaimed

property remains with the State Treasurer for estates administered

by the Office in the previous 20-year period. In FY2022, the Office

expanded this outreach to include closed estates that are in receipt

of interest from the Illinois State Treasurer on monies recovered by

the estates from the Illinois Unclaimed Property Fund. At the close

of FY2022, the Office recovered over $1.5 million in unclaimed

property for OPA Estates. The Office has identified additional funds

and will continue the process of probating those assets in order to

return funds to heirs and beneficiaries where possible.

Organizational Chart

nizational Chart

Board

ident

Bureau of

Administration

Bureau of Asset

Management

Bureau of Human

Resources

Administrative

Hearings

Human Rights and

Ethics

Board of

Comm.

State’s

Attorney

Treasurer

Clerk of the

Circuit Court

Health and

Hospitals

System

Public

Defender

Inspector

General

Land Bank

Authority

Appointed and Independent Agencies