County Board approves 9.81% preliminary levy

Kirsten Wisniewski | September 13, 2024

The Cook County Board of Commissioners has been discussing the 2025 budget for months, already. Department Heads in the county have submitted their initial budget requests, and the board has seen presentations from the departments explaining what their draft budgets include. The final budget and levy will not be approved until the end of 2024, but at the meeting on Sep. 10, the board passed a preliminary levy of 9.81%.

Setting a preliminary levy

Cook County Administrator James Joerke told WTIP, “It’s important to repeat so folks understand that the preliminary levy is a cap that cannot be exceeded in setting the final levy.” The average annual levy has been 4.5-5%. Joerke previously told WTIP that in the past there have been major fluctuations- years with a levy of 0%, and others where it has been firmly in the double digits- and that the board hopes to avoid extreme swings this year.

While the preliminary levy was ultimately approved, not all of the commissioners wanted to accept the draft as-is. The entire board agreed that an ultimate goal would be to have a final levy set close to 5%, and Commissioner Stacey Johnson suggested approving a 7% preliminary levy. She said that as long as there is an intention to cut more from the budget before approving a final levy, she wanted to start by approving a preliminary levy that was closer to the goal.

Johnson said, “I just want us to commit that we recognize that a 9.81% levy at this time, for this year, for this county, is not realistic. And let’s be realistic about setting up preliminary levy, and we will have to make cuts. We know that, so let’s commit to, we will at least make portion of those cuts today.” While the entire board agreed that a final levy close to 5% was their goal, only Commissioner Deb White voted with Johnson to set the preliminary levy at 7%. The other commissioners expressed their preference for having a more in-depth conversation about what specific cuts to make before lowering the levy. Ultimately, the motion to set the levy at a preliminary 9.81% passed 4-1, with Johnson voting in opposition.

Next steps

With a preliminary budget now set, the board will take on the task of cutting down the draft budget. Joerke said that he would be working with department heads to identify what could be streamlined from the budget. He said, “We’re going to have to do it on a case by case basis, but the board’s target is clear. They want the levy to be down around 5% we’re going to do our best to make some recommendations that gets us to that goal.” The board will have a special meeting on Sep. 17 to discuss potential areas to cut costs.

Before a final budget is approved, Cook County residents will have a chance to weigh in. The board has set Tuesday, Dec. 3 as the date for a Truth in Taxation meeting. The meeting will be an opportunity for the public to offer feedback on the budget and levy before they are finalized. The Truth in Taxation meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Dec. 3 at the Cook County Courthouse.

While the budget may have been the headline issue for the Sep. 10 meeting, the board also discussed county staffing, the University of Minnesota Extension Memorandum of Agreement, and an update of the Capital Improvement Plan.

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with Administrator James Joerke after the Sep. 10 Board of Commissioners meeting. Audio of that interview is below.