Cook County Board of Commissioners Unanimously Approves $9.94 Billion Budget

No new taxes in balanced budget

(Cook County, IL) - Today, the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved a balanced $9.94 billion FY2025 budget. The County budget allocates hundreds of millions of dollars for equity-focused programs, continued pandemic recovery efforts and vital programs and resources for residents without increasing taxes. The budget passed unanimously, 17-0, following a month of departmental hearings, briefings and the annual amendment process.

“This budget is the result of thoughtful planning, difficult choices and a clear vision to positively impact the lives of County residents - all without raising taxes,” said President Preckwinkle. “Like many of our residents, we’ve rolled up our sleeves, lived within our means and avoided spending more than we have. We are doing more than ever without asking more from our taxpayers. The good financial work we do allows us to invest in people and communities across Cook County.”

Approved Amendments to President’s Recommended Budget

As part of the final budget process, the Cook County Board of Commissioners also approved a package of amendments totalling $51.7 million, highlighted by:

• $11.6 million to expand a modular home pilot program ($3.0 million) in Chicago and a down payment assistance program ($8.6 million) throughout Cook County. Funding for this amendment comes from a higher-than-projected TIF surplus declared by the City of Chicago. The $200 million TIF surplus over initial projections resulted in $11.6 million for the County.
• $15 million for a new Homeowner Relief Fund aimed at reimbursing property owners experiencing sharp increases in their property tax bills.
• $25.2 million in technical amendments, including:
  • $7 million for corrections to special purpose funds
  • $10.2 million for grant program updates, and
  • $8 million for capital infrastructure budget changes
• Additional amendments with no fiscal impact on the final budget included reallocating a portion of the Sheriff’s budget to the Chief Judge’s budget to address anticipated changes in electronic monitoring operations and redistributing health funds to increase reproductive health funding.

Continued Federal Pandemic Relief Efforts

Cook County has directly received over $1 billion from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and has developed a comprehensive and equitable spending plan. Of these funds, $800 million, roughly 80% of the federal funds received, is being invested in community programs for County residents and businesses. This means that an overwhelming majority of this once-in-a-lifetime funding supports residents, not operational costs.

This includes the nation’s largest publicly funded guaranteed income initiative and a program to abolish up to $1 billion of medical debt. Hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding has also been dedicated to health care access, justice initiatives, violence prevention programs, infrastructure improvements and environmental projects.

Last year, the County established an ARPA reserve to help sustain some ARPA-funded programs beyond the expenditure period. This reserve will provide hundreds of millions of dollars to continue pandemic recovery programming and gives the County additional time and flexibility to identify grants and permanent funding sources for critical initiatives.

Equity Fund in FY2025

Cook County continues its commitment to equitable outcomes for residents through the Equity Fund, established in 2021. Through this fund, the County will work to address community safety through gun violence prevention grants and returning resident grants. It will also administer the development and growth of Community Violence Intervention (CVI) strategies and investments in partnership with the Government Alliance for Safe Communities (GASC). The GASC represents an unprecedented collaboration between leaders at the State of Illinois, City of Chicago and Cook County.

“This year’s budget strives to improve the lives of our residents,” added President Preckwinkle. “We are doing important work in the justice system, public safety, health, housing, economic opportunity, community development and social services to benefit historically marginalized communities, and this budget makes it all possible.”

Budget Highlights

In addition to important ARPA and Equity Fund investments, the FY2025 budget includes a number of important new programs, initiatives and goals including:

• $15 million for renewable energy investments by funding solar panels on County facilities, which are expected to generate $16.2 million in energy cost savings over the next 20 years.
• $4 million for Generative Artificial Intelligence projects to improve the County’s decision-making and operations, benefitting both residents and County employees.​
• Increased funding for the Veterans Assistance Commission to improve access to benefits for eligible veterans.
• Full mental health benefits coverage for County employees.
• Additional staffing for the property tax valuation division.

Public Health Highlights

In FY2025, Cook County Health will further implement cost-savings and control measures aimed at member costs, as well as increasing CCH medical and pharmacy utilization. This includes enhancing management programs for chronic diseases, expanding value-based care agreements and improving management of specialty services. CountyCare also anticipates increased utilization of CCH’s virtual immediate care.

Budget Materials Available Online

All FY2025 budget information is now posted to the Cook County website, allowing the public to review documents and engage directly with the President’s Office.

An interactive budget website provides access to historic financial data and detailed budget information.