Stroger rejects tax compromise
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Chicago Sun-Times
By Steve Patterson, Staff Reporter
February 29, 2008
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has the votes he
needs to raise the sales tax to 1.5 percent and help balance
the county budget. But he's rejecting it, because he wants
an even higher sales tax hike that will prevent him from having
to ask taxpayers for more funds in 2009 and 2010 — when
he's up for re-election.
That rejection surprised commissioners, as they instead begin
a countdown to a midnight deadline tonight, when they must
pass a balanced budget or risk a government shutdown.
Commissioners are trying to fill a $226 million deficit by
cutting or raising taxes and will meet again today.
Stroger is unwilling to budge from his demand that the county
sales tax be raised from .75 percent to 2 percent, which would
give the county more than $800 million each year, far more
than is needed to balance the budget. Stroger has eight votes
in support of that, but has been unable to secure a needed
ninth vote.
Commissioner Larry Suffredin, though, agreed Thursday to provide
Stroger a swing vote to hike the sales tax from .75 percent
to 1.5 percent. That would bring the county more than $300
million a year, but with commissioners waiting so long to
pass a budget, it would take effect later and bring in only
$53 million this year.
Attempts to bridge the difference for this year by cutting
back on things like consultants and overtime or across-the-board
cuts for everyone went nowhere.
Instead, Stroger is preparing for a weekend courtroom showdown,
asking a judge to order the board to pass a budget.
The frustrations from both Stroger and commissioners repeatedly
boiled over Thursday, resulting in plenty of shouting matches
and finger-pointing. But for all the theatrics, the board
was no closer to a compromise.
A failure to find common ground left the board to arguing
over cutting individual positions, across-the-board cuts for
all departments and scaling back spending on things like overtime
and consultants, but they couldn't even find agreement on
those issues.
Frustration boiled over during the meeting, as commissioners
repeatedly screamed at each other, while Stroger and Commissioner
Mike Quigley also engaged in an impressive shouting match
sparked by a Chicago Sun-Times revelation that Stroger and
seven commissioners, among others, are set to fly out to Washington
D.C. for a conference this weekend, even as jobs and services
could be slashed.
But at the end of all the theater, the board remained no closer
to a budget compromise.
Commissioner John Daley also threatened Commissioner Tony
Peraica, a Cook County state's attorney candidate, by telling
him, "I will deal with you out of this room," specifically
in his election.
