A Cook County commissioner Monday called for an investigation into a controversial $2.6 million County Jail electronic-monitoring contract after allegations that the contractor has failed to notify the sheriff when detainees leave home without permission or tamper with the ankle bracelets.
Commissioner Mary McDonald (R-Lincolnwood) cited a report by Sheriff Michael Sheahan showing an average of 84 contractor errors a week between Nov. 4 and Dec. 8 by CapitolCare Inc. of Washington, D.C.
”If anybody is making this many mistakes, we ought to have an investigation before we pay them any more money,” McDonald said.
However, Commissioners Bobbie Steele and John Stroger, both African-American Democrats from Chicago, accused McDonald of unfairly singling out CapitolCare, a minority-owned firm, when other contractors periodically violate contracts.
”We have plenty of vendors who aren`t complying with their agreements,” Steele said.
In other business, the board voted 15-1 to approve a $105.5 million, 3-year, health-care plan for 27,000 county employees and retirees that involves a combination of health maintenance organizations and preferred providers from Humana-Michael Reese, Chicago HMO and Anchor HMO after Blue Cross/Blue Shield pulled out of the plan.
The county has filed suit in Circuit Court against Blue Cross, charging that the giant insurer reneged on an agreement to participate in the program, but Commissioner Maria Pappas said she opposed the plan because Board President Richard Phelan`s staff failed to solicit bids from other providers, a charge Phelan denies.
The board also gave final approval to the $91.1 million forest preserve budget.
The board also voted to abate property taxes this year by $13.5 million, an average of about $5 per property owner, because of higher-than-expected revenues.
