Budget

Citizens' Guide to the County Budget
After hearing from constituents, local neighborhood groups and Chambers that good information on the County budget was impossible to find, I created a "Citizens' Guide to the County Budget" and hosted local town hall meetings in neighborhoods throughout the 10th District. These meetings provided an opportunity for people to discuss the historically unapproachable and impenetrable budget on a local level. We presented a break down of the $3 billion budget into the information people need: where does the money come from, where does it go and who decides how it is spent. 10th District residents had fantastic questions and informative feedback and we hope to continue these local discussions in the future. Click here for the Citizens' Guide to the County 2010 Budget. We are in the process of updating the presentation to reflect the 2011 budget.

Sales Tax Rollback
The remaining portion of the Cook County sales tax hike is on its way out. On February 25, I, and the majority of the County Board voted to repeal the remaining half of the sales tax increase in full by 2013. Under the ordinance passed on the 25th, the County sales tax will drop by a quarter cent-on-the-dollar on January 1, 2012 and another quarter cent on January 1, 2013.

Sales Tax Survey
Currently, I am surveying small local businesses in the 10th district regarding the impact of local taxes on their sales and overall profits. The survey includes multiple choice questions that attempt to inform me and the County Board of the needs of local businesses and their ideas for increasing overall sales and job creation. Complete the Sales Tax Survey below.