Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced today the launch of several County-wide, strategic reform initiatives in an effort to continue to transform County government and tackle the structural deficit in the years to come. On the heels of the approval of modest revenue enhancements by the County Board, Preckwinkle was joined by a bi-partisan group of Commissioners: Elizabeth Gorman (R-17th), Gregg Goslin (R-14th), Tim Schneider (R-15th), Peter Silvestri (R-9th), Jerry Butler (D-3rd), Finance Chairman John Daley (D-11th), Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-7th), and Robert Steele (D-2nd) to

Commissioner Larry Rogers, Jr. of the Cook County Board of Review, along with Bremen Township Supervisor Senator M. Maggie Crotty, Cook County Commissioner Deborah Sims, Bremen Township Assessor Grace Bardusk, Village of Robbins Mayor Irene H. Brodie, Village of Robbins Trustee Tyrone Ward, Village of Posen Mayor Donald W. Schupek, the City of Markham Mayor David Webb, Jr., the Village of Hazel Crest Mayor Robert B. Donaldson, and the Village of Hazel Crest Trustee Benjamin Ramsey will be holding two crucial property tax appeal forums. The events will be held on Monday, November 14, 2011.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was joined by Dr. Ramanathan Raju, CEO of the Cook County Health and Hospitals System and leaders in the medical community today at Stroger Hospital to urge the Cook County Board of Commissioners to approve a proposed alcohol tax and an expansion of the tobacco tax in the FY 2012 Budget. Citing study after study, Preckwinkle noted that raising tax rates on alcohol and tobacco reduces consumption and promotes public health and public safety.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, together with Bank of America, teamed up today to highlight their ongoing collaboration providing unemployed and underemployed residents the tools they need to find work and develop critical new skills in this difficult economy.

After meeting with County Commissioners, municipal leaders, township officials, and hearing from constituents throughout Cook County, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today announced the formation of a 13-member taskforce tasked with examining costs and services provided to unincorporated Cook County and ending the unincorporated tax subsidy. This taskforce will evaluate opportunities to share costs in a fairer fashion for both unincorporated and incorporated residents and to improve service delivery to residents of unincorporated areas.

Suburban Cook County will have 14 percent fewer precincts in 2012 - for an estimated $1 million savings - due to Clerk David Orr's continued effort to streamline elections. Orr's measure, approved unanimously Tuesday by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, will eliminate 264 precincts, reducing the number of precincts from 1,937 to 1,673. This is an enormous dividend from our investment in policies that make voting easier, Orr said.

Commissioner Larry Rogers, Jr. of the Cook County Board of Review, launched an aggressive community outreach campaign in response to the property tax crisis that residents across many communities of Cook County have been facing.

One of the greatest environmental advocates in American history, Aldo Leopold, once wrote, “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us.

Cook County Board President today presented her Executive Recommendation for the 2012 Budget to the Cook County Board of Commissioners outlining a budget proposal which reduces the budget by nearly 4%, makes long-term investments to address the structural deficit and continues to roll back the Stroger Sales Tax, a promise that President Preckwinkle made before taking office in December of 2010. The $2.9 Billion budget is the product of months of collaboration, and required tough choices from all parties involved.

On Saturday, October 22nd from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm the Cook County Department of Environmental Control and Village of Homewood is sponsoring a free Prescription Drug Take-back program. This event is a low-cost, high-value opportunity to tackle a critical environmental issue. The EPA has asked people not to flush old medications, as trace elements have been found in groundwater. Each year, close to 5,000 tons of pharmaceutical and personal care products enter the waste stream. Many survive water treatment processes and end up in drinking water.