The Cook County Board
of Commissioners is the legislative body of county government, and
the President (separately elected) is the Board's Chief Executive
Officer.
Cook County is a
home rule unit pursuant to Article VII, Section 6 of the Illinois
State Constitution. It may exercise any power and perform any function
pertaining to its government and affairs including, but not limited
to the power to regulate for the protection of the public health,
safety, morals and welfare; to license; to tax and to incur debt
(unless the Illinois General Assembly specifically denies or limits
a home rule power by a law approved by the vote of three-fifths
of the members elected to each house).
As
mandated by State law, County government has principal responsibility
for the protection of persons and property, the provision for public
health services and the maintenance of County highways.
Board Authority
The Cook County Board has the authority to set policy, and pass
ordinances & resolutions related to the responsibilities of
county government including approving all county purchases over
$25,000, levying taxes and adopting the annual budget for the entire
county government, including the budgets of the other independently
elected county officials.
For the unincorporated
areas of the county the County Board passes and enforces all regulatory
ordinances on issues such as public health & safety and building
& zoning. Restaurant and liquor licenses in unincorporated
areas are issued by the President of the County Board. The
County Sheriff provides police services to unincorporated areas.
County
Governance
President of the County Board
(link to profile)
The President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, in addition
to presiding at county board meetings, is responsible for the
administration of county government except for the responsibilities
held by the other independently elected county officials (Assessor,
Board of Review Commissioners, County Clerk, Clerk of the Circuit
Court, Recorder of Deeds, Sheriff, States Attorney and Treasurer).
Under the office of
the President, six county bureaus containing 35 departments, as
well as 6 independent offices report directly to the President.
With the consent of the Cook County Board, the President appoints
the Bureau Chiefs and heads of the county departments under the
President and falling under the Board's jurisdiction.
Board
of Commissioners (link
to listing and profiles)
The Cook County Board of Commissioners is the governing policy
board and legislative body of the county made up of 17
Commissioners elected by districts. The Rules of
the Board are approved at the beginning of each four-year term
the Board members are elected to serve.
The
Board has authority over and final approval of the County's fiscal
year budget and appropriations. The County Board's oversight
of each county office's budgeted dollars is done through in its
Finance Committee where all county proposed contracts and expenditures
over $25,000 are discussed and considered for the Board's approval.
Other Elected Officials of
the County (link to listing
and profiles)
Assessor, Board of Review Commissioners (3), County Clerk, Clerk
of the Circuit Court, Recorder of Deeds, Sheriff, States Attorney
and Treasurer comprise the elected officials in the County, outside
of the Board of Commissioners.
About half of the County's employees
are employed by the independently elected county officials or
by agencies reporting to the court system. Many functions
and services of county government are performed by these elected
county officials, over whom the county board has no control except
in the passage of their budgets and approval of bond issues, contracts,
and special large expenditures.
Meetings of the Board
The Board of Commissioners conducts its business at regularly
held bi-monthly Board meetings as well as through its standing legislative committees and
subcommittee. These committees meet at the discretion and
call of the committee's and subcommittee's respective Chairman.
The Board's Finance, Roads and Bridges, and Zoning & Building
Committees are "committees of the whole" and conduct
business at regularly held bi-monthly meetings that coincide with
the County Board meetings.
Special
meetings of the board may be called by the President or by one-third
of the board members.
All records on final
actions of the Cook County Board are housed with the Clerk of
the Board. All records of items referred by the Board to
its legislative committees or subcommittees are held by the Secretary
to the Board. Any notice or report of a Committee's action
to be considered or taken on items in committee is prepared by
the Secretary to the Board's Office and are available for your
review with the Secretary's Office.
Commissioner
Districts
On September 21, 1993, the Cook County Board of Commissioners
approved a districting map that created 17 single-member districts
from which the seventeen members of the Cook County Board
of Commissioners are elected. The map, held by the Clerk
of the Board, was the result of a referendum, approved by the
voters of Cook County on November 6, 1990. The referendum
eliminated the previous at-large elections that consisted of 10
Commissioners elected from the City of Chicago and 7 from
the suburban areas of Cook County.
On March 1,
1994, the Board approved by Ordinance (No. 94-0-18) the methods,
procedures and guidelines to govern the single-member districts
and the election of Commissioners from such districts in Cook
County.
On November
4, 1994, the seventeen Commissioners of the Cook County Board
were elected for the first time from each of the 17 Cook County
electoral districts and are now directly responsible to the constituents
within their individual districts.
The County Board
is required by law to redistrict after each decennial census to
insure that the 17 County Commissioner Districts are of equal
population according to the census data from the U.S. Census.
County Budget
