Budget planning continues, county capital projects progress

June is proving to be a busy month for the Cook County Board of Commissioners, as they continue planning for the 2026 budget, move forward with construction projects, and work to complete the hiring process for a new county administrator.

Interim Administrator Rena Rogers spoke with WTIP following the June 24 board meeting with an update on those ongoing county efforts.

2026 Budget planning

As the Board of Commissioners prepares to set a budget for 2026, they have begun hearing from county department heads and leaders of organizations who receive funding from the levy.

Budgeting during a year of uncertainty for state and federal program funding has meant leaving room for change. Rogers said that getting some answers when the state legislature passed a budget has helped with planning, but that there are still a lot of questions around federal funding, and what impact that might have on the local implementation of programs. “Some of those things directly affect our budget. Some of them don’t. Some of them just affect what programs will be able to roll out, or the benefits that we’re overseeing,” Rogers explained.

In the meantime, the board has directed department heads and organization leaders to be conservative in their requests for funding for new budget items, and to keep in mind that a lot can change between now and December, when the final budget and levy will be approved.  “Nobody likes uncertainty,” Rogers said. “It’s almost like, tell us the bad news and we’ll figure out how to deal with it. So we’re being flexible.”

Construction project

The earthwork on two sites that are part of the county transfer station project is well underway. Both in Hovland and in Grand Marais, site prep began a few weeks ago. Rogers said the foundation for a small building on the Hovland site has already been poured, and a perimeter fence is scheduled to go up next week. She added that the county’s estimated timeline for opening the Hovland transfer station is still in July.

Another project that should be completed in July is the courthouse basement renovation. In an effort to expand workspace within the existing courthouse, an underutilized break room and storage area has been converted into two supervisor offices and space for cubicles for another six employees. A new, smaller break room and lactation room have also been built. County facilities crews have begun painting in the space and installing storage units. Rogers said the goal is for the new offices to be move-in ready just after the 4th of July.

Administrator hiring

After holding interviews for four finalist candidates, the board voted on June 19 to offer the position of county administrator to Kristen Trebil-Halbersma. Rogers said that since that decision, she and a small team have been negotiating with Trebil-Halbersma to agree on contract details. The county has not made any official announcements, yet, but Rogers said she is optimistic about the process.

If Trebil-Halbersma accepts the role, there Rogers said there will be a transition period, where she anticipates continuing to provide support as Trebil-Halbersma wraps up work for her current position, and gets up to speed on the administrator role. Rogers said, “She’s got a pretty big job right now and some commitments that are probably going to linger into the next month or two. That doesn’t mean she won’t start here. I think I’ll be spending time with her working through that schedule.”

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with Interim Administrator Rena Rogers. Audio of that interview is below.

Kirsten Wisniewski June 26, 2025