Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today introduced her FY 2014 Executive budget recommendation. The proposed $3.2 billion operating budget includes no new taxes, fines, or fees and makes critical investments in the County’s public health and safety systems while reducing unnecessary costs. “This budget reflects my administration’s work over the past three years and is a testament to the reforms we have put in place to institutionalize fiscal responsibility in County government,” President Preckwinkle said. “We are not raising taxes and we are prioritizing spending.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Mayor Rahm Emanuel today announced that the City and County have identified more than $70 million in savings and revenue, as part of its City-County Collaboration. The City and County implemented 60 initiatives to eliminate duplicative services, coordinate enforcement and service delivery, and pursue joint contracts and grant applications. “For decades the city and county shared a hallway but rarely shared ideas and resources,” President Preckwinkle said.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today announced a proposal to reform the County’s health benefits, a move that is expected to save more than $2.2 million in next year’s budget and roughly $4 million annually. The proposal would require employees and officials who receive less than full-time County pay to pick up the full share of their health benefits. Those who choose not to will have the option of obtaining healthcare through a health insurance marketplace, accessing healthcare through other employment, or accessing the healthcare plan of a spouse, partner or family member.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle met with representatives from the North, South, and West Suburban Police Chief associations Tuesday in a continued effort to solve the overcrowding problems in Cook County jail and to discuss the impact of city violence on suburban municipalities.

Cook County Board President Preckwinkle today announced her intention to appoint Romayne Brown to the Metra Board of Directors. Brown is a retired transit manager with more than 30 years of operations and customer service experience. She started her career at the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) as a conductor and rose through the ranks, eventually earning the position of Vice President of Rail Operations.

The Cook County Health & Hospitals System today announced the opening of Oak Forest Health Center (OFHC), where new radiology and laboratory services will be offered.

The Cook County Board today unanimously approved changes to the Medical Examiner’s ordinance that for the first time would allow it the option of cremating the bodies of unclaimed and disclaimed indigents. The ordinance's original sponsors were Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Commissioners Jeffrey Tobolski (16th) and Elizabeth Doody Gorman (17th). The ordinance establishes the formal steps the office takes to notify next-of-kin of individuals brought to the Medical Examiner and also authorizes the office to charge storage fees for bodies brought in from hospitals and nursing

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today introduced an ordinance that would give Cook County significant new tools and information to increase recycling, prosecute fly-dumping and reduce thefts of metal and other valuable materials from public and private property. Overall, the proposed ordinance contains provisions designed to protect public health and safety, and build more sustainable ways to deal with waste in Cook County. “We know that suburban Cook County generates more waste per capita than the national average, and that our recycling rate lags,” Preckwinkle said.