Cook County commissioners significantly narrowed their projected budget shortfall for 2005 by approving spending cuts, but their efforts may go to waste as Board President John Stroger vowed to pull out his veto pen.
The County Board entered Wednesday’s budget session with a $55.7 million shortfall. Stroger proposed new taxes on restaurants and hotels to fill the gap, but those efforts lack board members’ support.
Since the county is required by state law to pass a balanced budget by the end of Monday, commissioners have focused on trimming expenses.
They spent all day Wednesday laboring–often in contentious debate–over various proposals to cut spending.
The most significant vote to cut spending wasn’t approved until after 9 p.m. That’s when commissioners approved 9-8 a budget amendment that would cut expenses by $20 million in offices under Stroger’s control.
Stroger argued that he has already kept spending in many of his offices at last year’s spending levels or below. However, that is not the case for most of the county’s health-care departments, which collectively account for nearly one-third of county spending.
The budget amendment–No. 60 of more than 100–was forwarded by Commissioner Carl Hansen (R-Mt. Prospect).
Stroger said further spending cuts under his offices would drastically affect services, and he vowed to veto the amendment.
The exact amount of the remaining budget gap was unclear late Wednesday given Stroger’s pledged vetoes and the need to reconcile approved budget amendments.
The long day wore down the patience of several commissioners.
Stroger lashed out numerous times, saying such budget cuts would hurt the government.
“I don’t care what anyone says. You can’t run a government just cutting, or you wouldn’t have any government at all,” Stroger told commissioners.
During a dinner break, Stroger told a group of reporters that his opponents were “a goddamn group of nuts. Most reasonable people would have worked something out.”
Several commissioners say it is Stroger who has failed to work with them to achieve a passable budget.
As the day began, Stroger said his goal was to achieve a “reasonable, prudent, equitable and fair” budget.
But on the few occasions commissioners could muster enough votes to make significant cuts in spending, Stroger vowed he would veto the measures.
Commissioner Peter Silvestri, a moderate Republican from Elmwood Park, predicted the board eventually would approve a balanced budget without Stroger’s controversial 2 percent restaurant and hotel taxes.
“It’s a game of chicken to some extent,” Silvestri said.
