Cook County: Board OKs smaller borrowing plan than President Todd Stroger sought$251 million deal is $73 million less than what Stroger wantedFriday, April 03, 2009
Chicago Tribune
by Hal Dardick
The Cook County Board
on Thursday approved borrowing more than $251 million for construction,
building improvements and computer equipment, after slashing Board
President Todd Stroger's original borrowing proposal.
Commissioners
eliminated or delayed dozens of projects that would have required
borrowing another $73 million. Earlier this year, they also rejected
Stroger's proposal to borrow another $364 million to cover yearly
operating costs.
By the time the paring was complete,
Commissioner Forrest Claypool (D-Chicago), a Stroger critic, said money
was being borrowed only for projects that "are necessary and important
for the functioning of our county."
Stroger, who has long maintained that all the proposed projects were vital, said he could live with the board's action.
"It's
just like when you have a house," he said. "You have to make a
determination when it's time to replace your roof or windows. You have
the same situation here. You can defer some things."
The
borrowing will pay for projects mandated by court order, needed to meet
safety requirements and deemed essential for county operations.
One
project involves spending $8.5 million to replace an antiquated
computer system that tracks thousands of jail detainees. Attorneys
representing the detainees Monday asked a federal judge to make the
county spend that money, after the system went down for 18 hours
earlier this year.
Money for the new jail computer system was
added to the borrowing plan approved Thursday because of the immediate
need and legal action.
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