Finance Committee: Mid year budget hearings [Clerk of the Circuit Court, Office of the Chief Judge, Office of the Independent Inspector General, Sheriff]

@CHIdocumenters The @CookCountyBoard meeting can be viewed online: https://www.cookcountyil.gov/service/watch-live-board-proceedings

There’s an interactive budget website. Fancy!
https://budget.cookcountyil.gov/#!/year/default

Plus a 2022 budget forecast: https://www.cookcountyil.gov/sites/default/files/service/2022-cook-county-preliminary-forecast.pdf

The meeting starts at 9:01am with the new Clerk of the Circuit Court, Iris Martinez. She speaks about updating the office and complying with court-ordered mandates to modernize.

Martinez is updating standards for hiring new employees and will fill empty positions.
She speaks about implementing the Odyssey Case Management System, which is already used in other states. https://www.in.gov/courts/admin/tech/odyssey/

After Martinez finishes her presentation, she turns the video over to her budget officer, who speaks about budget numbers in more detail. The office is responding to courts opening up again after COVID closures.

He highlights that.
Revenue is up.
Expenditures are below anticipations.

Says this is due to efficiency of office under their leadership team.

A couple county commissioners tell @ILSenMartinez that she’s awesome.
Commissioner Miller asks about empty staffing positions.
In response to a question from Commissioner Daley, Martinez talks about lessons learned from COVID procedures and changes in the future.

Martinez talks about operating office with more openness and transparency. Her predecessor was not mentioned by name but there were plenty of references to changes from the past. https://wgntv.com/news/wgn-investigates/partying-during-a-pandemic-court-clerk-dorothy-browns-last-hurrah/

The meeting video is cutting off names of speakers but the next presentation is chief judge Timothy Evans.
Says “it’s all good news right now.” More revenue than anticipated from one of their funds. http://www.cookcountycourt.org/ABOUT-THE-COURT/Office-of-the-Chief-Judge

Evans says the courts were never closed. They’re doing more online since COVID. Utilizing Zoom.
Now anticipating the end of the eviction moratorium in Illinois. https://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2021-07-20/as-illinois-phases-out-eviction-moratorium-housing-advocates-gear-up

Commissioner Britton asks about courts opening and jury trials given the delta variant of covid.

Evans said he has recommendation to go from 6 feet to 3ft social distancing for jury proceedings. But 6 feet for initial jury selection. They’re already conducting jury trials again.

Commissioner Aguilar talks about people arrested for heinous crimes being released on bail and committing more crimes. “People are crying out.”

Evans responds they have to presume people are innocent until convicted. Talks about standards for when people can be held pre-trial.

Aguilar repeats people arrested on multiple violent, felony charges are being released on bail, including one who committed murder in Humboldt Park. https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-shooting-humboldt-park-puerto-rican-day-yasmin-perez/10877312/

Evans responds that federal and local money should be spent on witness protection. Resources need to be put into low income communities. Help people experiencing trauma. Need legal pathway for upward mobility to stop violence in communities. Ideas outside the power of his office.

Commissioner Johnson asks about selection process for Evans’ blue ribbon committee on Juvenile Temporary Detention Center procedures. Discussion on isolation of juveniles in detention.
https://www.chapinhall.org/news/bryan-samuels-named-to-blue-ribbon-committee-on-juvenile-justice/

In response to commissioner Lowry, Judge Evans says he opposes money bail. It will no longer be allowed under state law next year. Money bail should not penalize the poor while letting the rich go free.

Evans would like graduates of their restorative justice system to get a job and temporary housing to get away from gangs. Also need cognitive behavioral therapy.
Lowry says they’re working on an initiative to address some of these ideas.

Commissioner Degnan brings up county commission on women. Asks courts to ensure domestic violence victims are able to have physical separation from accused abusers.
Evans talks about current procedures to accomplish that. 90% of their domestic violence victims are women.

Commissioner Degnan asks for data so she can show the county has a “multidimensional, multifaceted approach” to dealing with violence.

Commissioner Miller and Evans talk about restorative justice courts.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/08/03/were-not-going-to-send-you-to-jail-avondale-community-court-gives-alternative-to-resolve-nonviolent-crime/

Miller and Evans discuss the veterans court program. Evans says it’s successful and helps connect veterans with programs that already exist.

Commissioner Sean Morrison asks about the reason for a budget increase request. Evans talks about changes after COVID increasing budget needs. Says “zoom rooms” a dozen or so times.

Judge Evans talks about the conditions for when someone can be held in jail pre-trial.

Commissioner Sean Morrison asks about electronic monitoring. Says when the program started the intent was not to release people accused of violent crimes. But that changed. Asks if home monitoring for violent offenders will become the new norm.

Evans brings up shootings over 4th of July weekend. Less than 100 people charged with murder were out on electronic monitoring. Talks about why accused murderers are sometimes on home monitoring. Says there’s no evidence those people were responsible for July 4 violence.

Sean Morrison asks what info is publicly available about people released on home monitoring. Staff member says the information is released on the website quarterly. Details on individual cases is not given. Can be found at: http://www.cookcountycourt.org/ABOUT-THE-COURT/Office-of-the-Chief-Judge/Court-Statistics-and-Reports

Commissioner Sims and Judge Evans talk about why people shouldn’t be in jail if they’ve been arrested, but not convicted, of multiple violent crimes.

Commissioner Anaya asks about how the electronic monitoring system is evaluated. Judge Evans repeats the previous answer he gave to this question from other commissioners. Anaya also asks about a food contract.

Evan’s report concludes. Next budget presentation is from the Independent Inspector General, Pat Blanchard.

https://www.cookcountyil.gov/service/oiig-leadership

Blanchard makes a short presentation. In response to Aguilar, he speaks about vacancies in the office.
Commissioner Anaya also asks about vacancies. Blanchard says it slows down the process.

Sean Morrison asks about news story of employees taking bribes. Blanchard responds the inspector general’s office is involved with such cases.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2021/7/17/22581432/cook-county-property-tax-bribe-assessment-fbi-investigation-leave

Next is the budget presentation for the cook county Sheriff’s office. Sheriff Tom Dart isn’t present due to his mother passing away. Chief of Staff Brad Curry is making the presentation.

Curry says they “wrote the playbook” for containing COVID in a jail. Only two detainees currently in custody are positive for COVID19.

Social distancing in the jail created 450 additional posts. That’s main cause for staff overtime.

Do not have enough correctional positions. Has been difficult to recruit. Trouble keeping up with staff losses.

Curry talks about more programs of the Sheriff’s office.

Commissioner Scott Britton talks about restaurants having trouble recruiting. Asks if there could be more jail work programs. Curry says there’s already a restaurant training program.

Commissioner Brandon Johnson asks about goals and metrics. How is sheriff responding to demand for alternative responses to emergency situations? Curry says all officers are trained in de-escalation tactics. Officers have tablets that allow requests for service providers.

Johnson talks about need for programs that help people being released from the jail.

Commissioner Silvestri asks about what grounds would prompt mental health testing of sheriff employees. Curry describes several reasons that might happen.

In response to question from Commissioner Anaya, Curry talks about vaccination efforts in the jail and among staff. Still working on increasing vaccination among staff. Some incentives don’t increase participation.

Anaya asks about electronic monitoring. Also a detailed question about grants that two different staff had to answer.

Curry talks about some of the successful programs of the office.

The camera stayed on sheriff’s staff while commissioners speak so I’m not sure who asked the latest question. Someone asks if they keep track of guns recovered by the office, which they do. Most seized guns are destroyed. Some stolen guns are returned to owner.

A commissioner refers a report that only 55% of sheriff employees are vaccinated. Curry says the policy is still to wear masks. Detainees are tested for COVID when they enter the jail.

That concludes budget presentations. The cook county board finance committee votes to receive the reports. Five members are absent for the vote. Committee adjourns.