County Board performs liposuction on capital budget

Rob Olmstead
Daily Herald Staff

Well, what do you know? There was some fat in that Cook County bond budget after all. Or at least things that county departments could forego for one year.

Cook County Board members cut their capital borrowing budget for 2009 from $375 million to roughly $285 million over two days of reviewing requested items line-by-line.

Among the biggest cuts was a $57 million reduction from an amendment sponsored by commissioners on both sides of the aisle, cutting computer equipment, furniture and vehicle purchases across nearly all county departments. Another amendment cut $16 million from the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk's office for computer and automation funding.

Commissioner Tim Schneider of Bartlett said many of the projects cut were worthy, but are simply being put off in a year when bond rates are high and families are suffering financially.

Despite the bipartisan spate of cost-cutting, some commissioners couldn't help themselves and sought Thursday to restore a project cut out on Wednesday. The project, a $2.2. million parking lot repavement at the Hawthorne Warehouse on Chicago's west side, has been a political football for the past two years. The project included $300,000 for Infrastructure Engineering, a substantial donor to Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and Commissioner Bill Beavers.

The bid was the most expensive of three bids. Administrators claimed the company was the most qualified, despite the fact the other two bidders had previously done similar jobs for either the county or Chicago.

After the project was cut Wednesday, Beavers introduced an amendment restoring it Thursday. The amendment was defeated 6-5, with six board members absent. Finance Chairman John Daly provided the crucial sixth vote against the project.

21/09/09