County Board finalizes 7.57% levy increase for 2026

During their final regular business meeting of the year, the Cook County Commissioners voted to approve a final 2026 budget that includes a 7.57% levy increase. The vote was split 4-1, with Commissioners Dave Mills, Ginny Storlie, Ann Sullivan, and Deb White supporting the motion, and Commissioner Garry Gamble voting against it.

The Dec. 16 board meeting included robust discussion about what the final budget should be.  The board paid specific attention to the use of fund balance to lower the levy, and their approach to discretionary funding.

Fund balance and weighing unknowns

The board passed a preliminary budget in September which included a 7.57% levy increase. During the Truth in Taxation meeting held earlier this month, Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers said during his presentation that by natural adjustments to different departments budgets, the levy increase had dropped to 6.79%.

After today’s board meeting, Powers told WTIP that the commissioners opted to use less of the county fund balance, which brought the levy increase back to what they originally approved. During the meeting, several commissioners said they supported the move to maintain a higher fund balance at this time, because the next several budget years could be difficult.

The concern over the coming years was largely related to hardship that comes with so many unknowns as the board looks toward the future. Several commissions pointed to the changes that have taken place at the federal level this year as a source of uncertainty for future budgets, and being able to anticipate what funding sources will be available in the future. Mills expressed his frustration with the changes, saying, ““What the feds did, I think, is immoral.”

Discretionary funding policy

Several commissioners voiced their support for examining the budgeting process going into future years, with an eye toward trying to clarify how to approach mandated and non-mandated services moving forward.

There was agreement amongst the commissioners that creating a stronger policy around discretionary funding is important. However, Sullivan argued that at this point in the year, major changes to what has been planned for non-mandated spending could be difficult for organizations counting on the support to manage as their look at their own 2026 budgets.

During the meeting Gamble expressed frustration that some of the budget conversation was happening so late in the process. Both he and White said they would like budget conversations to begin early next year.

Storlie told WTIP that during the past year the question of whether to hire a new administrator, and then going through the process before hiring Administrator Kristen Trebil-Halbersma, took a lot of focus during board meetings. She said that with a new administrator in place, she believes the board will be able to turn its attention toward improving the budgeting strategy in the new year. “We have a good administrator, and she’s saying to us, this is where we’re going to go in January,” Storlie said.

Powers added, “I think, after the discussion today, that we’ll start some serious discussions early in the year and start to try to institute some of those changes and not wait.”

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with Commissioner Ginny Storlie and Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers following the Dec. 16 meeting. Audio of that interview is below.

Kirsten Wisniewski December 17, 2025