2,100 candidates will be running for municipal, school, park, library and fire district offices in suburban Cook County on April 5, 2011, according to Cook County Clerk David Orr. Voter participation in local elections is crucial if residents want to influence issues affecting their communities, Orr said. Unfortunately, less than a third of registered voters typically cast ballots in the consolidated election. (See turnout history below.) VOTER REGISTRATION You have until March 8th to register to vote in the April 5th election.

The new Cook County Government homepage is a place where citizens can find out about news, deadlines, programs and other information to help them interact with the county in a smarter way. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said transparency means delivering useful information to the public in real time. This Web site is designed to do that in a logical and intuitive manner, she said. “The goal was to create and grow the site into a true gateway for county information and the rest of the county’s Web sites.

The snow might be long gone, but Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management are seeking to link local municipalities and other eligible applicants with federal disaster funding for costs associated with the Feb. 1 snowstorm. Preckwinkle said she has given her full support to helping municipalities complete the application process. Her staff is currently working with the state and federal government. On Monday, Gov.

Cook County has entered into a pro bono partnership with ComEd, the state’s largest energy provider, an effort that is designed to save energy and taxpayer dollars. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle joined today with ComEd chairman and CEO Frank M. Clark to announce an energy-efficiency initiative that is expected to produce $850,000 in annual cost savings. ComEd will also be conducting regular site visits to implement best practices for energy savings.

County Board of Review has announced dates for filing assessment appeal complaints for property owners in Niles, Stickney, Maine, Rich and Lyons Townships. The filing dates for property assessment appeals begin on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 and will end on Wednesday, March 23, 2011. Property owners may appeal their assessments to the Board if they believe that their assessment is too high.

Working through the day and into the night, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the FY2011 budget with an unanimous vote. The budget represents the first steps of a restructuring of County finances and a long-term plan that will address the structural budget deficit and lay the groundwork for that rollback back of the county sales tax increase. The final budget includes an amendment to fully repeal the remaining half-cent of the sales tax increase.

Working through the day and into the night, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the FY2011 budget with an unanimous vote. The budget represents the first steps of a restructuring of County finances and a long-term plan that will address the structural budget deficit and lay the groundwork for that rollback back of the county sales tax increase. The final budget includes an amendment to fully repeal the remaining half-cent of the sales tax increase.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office first sex offender roundup of the year successfully tracked dozens of registered offenders across unincorporated Cook County on Saturday. All offenders contacted were found in compliance. Early on the morning of February 19th, approximately 16 Cook County Sheriff’s Police detectives conducted random, surprise compliance checks of registered sex offenders at their home addresses. Between 5 a.m. and 1 p.m., officers went door to door on “knock and talks” verifying addresses, and ensuring sex offenders are in compliance with the rules and regulations.

On behalf of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, the Cook County Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (DHSEM) wishes to thank all Cook County municipalities, townships, other eligible units of government and non-profit organizations in providing our office with your Public Assistance Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDA). The level of response and cooperation was unprecedented. This office greatly appreciates everyone’s hard work. Cook County has submitted just under $22,000,000 for Public Assistance Preliminary Damage Assessments for the County as a whole.

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced that the Parentage and Child Support Court (formerly called Expedited Child Support Program) will move from 32 W. Randolph Street in Chicago to the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, Room 24, on the concourse level.