Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is pitching an optimistic $9.14 billion budget for next year: no new taxes, fees or hikes — and no layoffs of government employees.
Among her priorities, Preckwinkle is bracing to pay more to help provide medical care for thousands of asylum seekers arriving in Chicago. And she plans to tap about $166 million in reserves to continue some programs the county created with federal pandemic relief dollars after that lifeline runs out in a few years.
