Cook County government prepares for a change in leadership

The Cook County Board of Commissioners is preparing for a change in staff leadership with the upcoming departure of Interim Administrator Rena Rogers. Amidst the transition planning, they also discussed the ongoing 2026 budget process, and the continuation of the transfer station project.

Budgetting

When they began talking about the budget process, the commissioners asked department heads to consider which services they offer to be essential. The board also asked them not to make budget requests for any new positions. Rogers said the only exception to that request thus far has been from the Auditor Treasurer’s office. That position would create redundancy of skills for both that department and the Recorder’s department. Rogers said that this position would eliminate the overtime work done between those departments, balancing out the cost of a new position.

While the department heads have not made many new requests in their budget proposals, Rogers said that some are still requesting more funds from the county. She gave the example of the Cook County Highway Department, which is requesting an increase of about 10% to their budget, because they lost some federal funding that covers services they provide.

“We know that there are services we have to deliver, and there are things we have to do, and there are going to be impacts on decisions that are being made elsewhere,” said Rogers, referring to changes in funding at the federal and state level.

The board has yet to receive the budget request from Public Health and Human Services, and they typically do not set a preliminary levy until September. At this time, however, Rogers said the current requests would put the county at a roughly 10% levy increase.

Transfer station update

Work on the Grand Marais transfer station continues. Rogers said the concrete footings are in process, and that by September the building should be ready to go up. Since it is made of cast concrete, the construction of the building itself should happen relatively quickly. However, even with the building itself up, other infrastructure will take some time to complete, and Rogers said it will likely be finished and open for operation in May of 2026.

The Hovland transfer station is in its final stages of construction. Rogers said they expect a ribbon cutting to mark it’s completion and opening for service in August. She said the county has a tentative date of Aug. 9 for operation.

Administrator transition

This meeting was Rogers’ last in the role of interim administrator. She said she has been working closely with Kristen Trebil-Halbersma, who will take on the administrator role on Aug. 4, to prepare for the transition. There will be a short overlap when Trebil-Halbersma begins, during which Rogers will be there to ensure a smooth hand-off.

“It’ll be a busy first week orienting her to both the community, but also just some of the first things she’s going to have to deal with,” Rogers said. “A lot of work has already been done, transition work.”

Roger’s was commended for her work for the county at the July 22 meeting. In speaking to WTIP she also expressed her thanks for the board and the county employees. “I have really appreciated this group of commissioners. I appreciated their civility, I appreciate their support,” she said. “It’s just been a good conversation with them, and they’ve been- I just appreciate all of them and how much they care about this community.”

Kirsten Wisniewski July 26, 2025