County sets 7.57% preliminary 2026 levy increase

Kirsten Wisniewski | September 11, 2025

Despite previous discussions of a preliminary levy increase of over nine percent, on Sept. 9 the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed a preliminary 2026 budget that would set the levy increase at 7.57%. In addition to budget talks, the board also moved forward with another contract for outside services aimed at supporting and evaluating Public Health and Human Services (PHHS).

2026 Budget

The board passes a preliminary budget and levy increase in September each year, but the board has until December to finalize it. Once a preliminary levy has been set, the board can still change the budget in ways that will lower the levy burden on taxpayers. The preliminary levy acts as a cap for how much the final increase can be.

Administrator Kristen Trebil-Halbersma told WTIP that the decreased preliminary levy was the result of the board opting to plan to use more of the county’s fund balance to offset expenses in the current 2026 budget.

While the preliminary budget sets a levy that is within a fairly typical range compared to the past several years, Trebil-Halbersma said that the board is still looking for where they could trim the budget.

After passing a preliminary budget, the board also set a date for the annual Truth in Taxation meeting. State law requires municipalities to hold Truth in Taxation meetings. The meetings are an opportunity for taxpayers to learn more about the budget. They do not address individual property tax valuations. Taxpayers can instead provide feedback on the preliminary budget before it is finalized. The Truth in Taxation meeting this year is scheduled for Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. at the Cook County Courthouse.

Public Health and Human Services Contracts

The board approved a second contract for consulting work in PHHS in as many weeks. PHHS saw a series of resignations and a termination from the department following investigations that took place earlier this year, spurred by grievances filed by employees in the spring. The county is currently working to recruit a new PHHS director, while also considering a potential reorganization of the department, and conducting as assessment of the current structure.

At a special meeting on Sept. 3, the commissioners approved a contract with David Lee. He is a former Carlton County Public Health director with a mental health clinical care background.

“We have worked with him in the past, so he’s aware of Cook County and our needs within our PHHS division and department,” Trebil-Halbersma said. She added, “He has a broad background of experience working with health and human services.”

Lee will be providing the supervision of behavior health services through PHHS that state law requires, and helping to assess the needs of the behavioral health team while the county continues evaluation of the department. His contract provides the county with up to six months of supervisory and assessment work from Lee.

The county will also be working with Meghan Mohs of Birch Bark Consulting, LLC. Mohs also has a background in public health and human services. She previously worked in that department for Ramsey County. According to Trebil-Halbersma, Mohs has provided consulting work and interim leadership for several other counties.

As the county continues processing the findings of the investigations, Trebil-Halbersma said they are looking at the entire department. She said, “We wanted to bring her in to do kind of a broader assessment, and to make sure that we’re again just being as effective and as efficient as we can be with the services that we provide.”

Identifying problems and moving forward

The county is working to establish a plan for moving forward and addressing the problems flagged by the employee complaints. However, there is still limited public information regarding the complaints and the subsequent investigations. Trebil-Halbersma told WTIP that she and Interim PHHS Director Plamen Dimitrov would be providing more information to the PHHS board at their upcoming meeting on Sept. 16 about the problems identified in the investigation and through examination of the department.

Despite the current vacancies within the department and the ongoing effort to identify and rectify problems, in talking about the need for further evaluation of PHHS organization, Trebil-Halbersma added, “I say all of this with the caveat that I do believe that we’re providing good services for the community right now.”

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with Administrator Kristen Trebil-Halbersma. Audio of that interview is below.