Built to Withstand: President Preckwinkle’s FY2027 Budget Address

Good morning, Commissioners, Cook County employees, partners, and residents.

It's an honor to present the Fiscal Year 2027 Executive Budget Recommendation.

Across Cook County, families are paying more at the grocery store, more at the gas pump, and more for rent and utilities, while paychecks struggle to keep up.

For many residents, affordability isn't a talking point. It's the math they do at the kitchen table every week.

And just as families are being asked to do more with less, so is County government.

Cook County faces its own compounding challenges this year, but we will meet them as we always have: with honesty about the problem, resolve about the solution, and without asking taxpayers for more. 

Imagine spending a decade improving your home: replacing the plumbing, updating the wiring, putting on a new roof. All while paying down your mortgage and even making an extra payment when you can.

Your house is in better shape than when you bought it. 

But you don't control the weather.

A storm hits. A tree falls on the roof. At the same time, your basement floods. Water is coming in from above and below.

It doesn't matter what caused the problem; it’s up to you to fix it.

That’s what we are dealing with. 

The tree on the roof is roughly $500 million in frozen transportation revenue over the last two years. This is a result of the Roadbuilders lawsuit, which stands to impact our public safety offices.

The flooding in the basement is a cruel, deliberate round of federal health care cuts by the Trump administration, already costing the County more than $200 million this year, and rising.

When a storm hits, you don't take out a second mortgage if you can help it. You cut back on expenses. You make tough choices to find a way to pay for it all. 

That’s exactly the approach we are taking with this budget: tightening our belt across County government so that we are not asking residents for a single additional dollar this year.

I tell a homeowner's story because it's one many of us understand. But I know it isn't everyone's story. Many of our residents rent. Many don't have savings to fall back on, or they’ve already cut back everything they can. 

For them, the storm isn't a once-a-decade event. It's also rising prices, every single month. It’s putting off the doctor’s visit. It’s cutting back on essentials, like groceries. 

They are the reason this budget does not ask them for more.

II. A Decade of Discipline

We’ve spent the last 15 years building a strong financial foundation for Cook County. 

That foundation has given us something important at this moment: options. 

In these 15 years, we’ve made significant progress in economic development, public health, public safety, affordable housing, and emergency preparedness.

It hasn’t always been easy, but we’ve remained determined to make Cook County safer, healthier and stronger for our residents.

This progress starts with our budget. It’s the foundation for everything we do here.

We’ve faced difficult budget years before. 

A global pandemic jeopardized our finances, and we are still dealing with the impacts.

A recent study by the UIC Great Cities Institute estimates that Operation Midway Blitz cost $1.2 billion in economic impact in Cook County, including more than $107 million in foregone local sales-tax revenue since January 2025. 

But through all of these challenges, we have found a way forward. 

Amidst these difficulties, we:

• Closed more than $3.6 billion in preliminary forecast gaps.
• Raised our pension funded ratio from 56% to 66% through a decade-long commitment to paying more into the system. By 2030, we project to be over 73% funded. 
• Cut outstanding debt by $1.2 billion, lowering borrowing costs and sparing future generations the bill.
• Held the property tax levy flat since I took office. 
• Invested federal pandemic funds in innovative programs like guaranteed income, medical debt relief, small business support, violence prevention, housing access, and environment and sustainability initiatives.

Years of responsible financial management and long-term planning have positioned Cook County better than most to navigate significant economic uncertainty. 

But put plainly, this is our most difficult budget since 2011.

When we released a preliminary forecast in June, we faced a gap of roughly $550 million gap.

That gap was driven by federal health care cuts, a court ruling restricting hundreds of millions of dollars in transportation revenue, and general inflationary pressures.

Much credit goes to the Cook County Health team and CEO Dr. Erik Mikaitis for closing their projected $214 million budget gap—nearly half of the deficit—to $40M through budget cuts that do not impact their workforce or reduce access to care.  

We did what we always do and got to work, with the goal of producing a balanced budget that protects our progress, programs and people.

It has been incredibly difficult, but we have developed a comprehensive solution that does not raise taxes this year.

• We tightened vacancy management across County government, saving $46 million while protecting essential positions.
• We paused some non-essential IT projects, strategically delayed some capital expenses and reduced contractor and discretionary spending, saving another $35 million.
• We optimized our reserves and special purpose funds, identifying $18 million.
• We earned $88 million in interest from the $1 billion in ARPA funds received from the federal government. 
• We are using funding previously committed to ARPA programs in FY28 and beyond to support our core operations this year. While funding will continue as previously planned next year, it will drastically decrease in the following years. In total, $61.2 million will support General Fund operations. 
• And finally, updated sales tax figures and other collections since our June preliminary projection show a $93 million increase in expected revenue.

The point is simple: we’re not asking taxpayers to solve a problem we haven’t first tried to solve ourselves.

However, this won’t be the last difficult budget. We’ll feel the impacts of Trump administration policies for the next several years and may be forced to turn to revenue solutions in the years to come.

For this year, though, we are making hard choices ourselves. The recommendation I am putting forth today protects the progress we’ve already made and prepares us for what comes next.

III. Protecting Cook County's Healthcare Safety Net

Cook County Health is a safety net system and lifeline for our residents. We've built a system where healthcare is not a privilege, it's a right.

For nearly two centuries, Cook County Health has served anyone who has come to our door, regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status. 

And 14 years ago, we created CountyCare, Cook County's largest Medicaid health plan, which now serves nearly 400,000 members.

Just a few weeks ago, the National Committee for Quality Assurance awarded CountyCare a four-star rating, making it the highest-rated Medicaid managed care plan in Illinois for the third straight year. 

Last year, major Medicaid cuts were included in the federal HR1 bill. President Trump often refers to it as the “Big Beautiful Bill,” but it creates an ugly reality for our county and our nation.

It does more than cut Medicaid. It also makes changes to the Affordable Care Act that makes it more difficult for people to qualify for and afford coverage.

These cuts will cost lives.

As more residents lose coverage, the human toll will be real: people delaying care, skipping medications, showing up to our emergency rooms sicker than they need to be.

Our health system will be asked to care for more patients in need, while bringing in far less money to do it.

And the grim reality is that Cook County Health will continue to face financial challenges in the coming years as a result of the Trump administration’s cruelty. 

Without additional revenue, clinic closures, reductions in behavioral health services, and less funding for clinical trials and research are all possible. 

But despite these challenges, we continue to improve the quality of care and invest in the health of our people. The people who work in our health system keep showing us what it means to care for people. 

Consider Julie’s story. She walked into the emergency room at Stroger Hospital worried about pregnancy-related hypertension, but like many of our patients who walk through the doors of our health system, the medical concern was only part of the story. She was also dealing with anxiety and holding onto trauma from a previous birthing experience.

Like many expectant mothers who have felt judged or dismissed at other hospitals, she was nervous that she would face similar scrutiny at Stroger Hospital.

However, the moment she walked through the hospital’s doors, she was relieved to find out our county health system was different. 

Her nurse Jay didn’t just monitor her vitals but offered genuine comfort and compassion. Her physician, Dr. Gomez, took the time to answer every single question despite the busy-ness of the department, listening to her and validating her feelings about her past trauma. Before she was discharged, they connected her with a doula and mental health resources to help support and guide her pregnancy. 

Julie walked out saying she never felt happier or more heard.

 That’s what our teams at Cook County Health do every day. It’s not simply treating an illness or completing an exam. It’s seeing the person in front of you and making sure they know they are not alone. 

That commitment is one reason Stroger Hospital was named to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals list as a High Performing Hospital, the highest distinction. 

And to end with a hopeful note for the future of our health care system, we recently marked an important milestone. 

Last month, we celebrated the milestone of abolishing $1 billion in medical debt in Cook County. This is the most of any county in the nation and it’s through our innovative partnership with Undue Medical Debt. We did this with an investment of just $9 million. 

By investing in our patient population and preserving access to quality care, we’re creating healthier families and workforces. We’re avoiding costly emergency care in the long run, and most importantly, we’re saving lives. 

 

IV. Investing in Community Safety Through Evidence-Based Reform

The same principle applies to community safety: when we invest in people and address problems before they become crises, we can prevent harm and save lives.

Every life lost to gun violence is more than a statistic in the headlines. Behind each number is a person, a family and a community forever changed.

Earlier this year, a young man was rushed to the emergency room after a shooting. His family arrived overwhelmed, frightened and grieving, and outreach workers from New Life Centers, one of our community violence intervention partners, were there to meet them.

In the family's own words: "We were overwhelmed, scared, and hurting so deeply... In our pain, we were sometimes short and even rude. And still, they stayed."

They asked questions on the family's behalf when no one could find the words. They brought water and snacks when the family needed it. They stood with them, a supportive shoulder or a phone call away at any hour.

Today, that family remains part of a community that walks with them in their healing.

"I truly believe they were angels," the family said, "guiding us through the darkest moments of our lives."

That is what community violence intervention looks like. It isn't only about preventing the next shooting. It's about people who show up and stay.

My administration has invested in the tools and strategies to build safer futures for all our residents, especially our young people, in a country where gun violence is, shamefully, the leading cause of death for children and young adults.

Since the height of the gun violence crisis in 2021, gun homicides in Cook County have fallen by 50%. This is proof that our coordinated, sustained investment in communities is working.

Across the state, county and city, through the Government Alliance for Safe Communities, more than $350 million has gone to community-based violence intervention and prevention, including $110 million from Cook County alone. 

This past summer, we committed another $20 million into our Community Violence Intervention programming. Those funds support youth development programs, survivor services, and outreach workers like the ones who stayed with that family.

This work would not be possible without the close coordination with our partners at the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago, Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson. Thank you for your continued leadership. 

I'd also like to recognize my partners in the criminal justice space: Chief Judge Charles Beach, Sheriff Tom Dart, State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke, Circuit Court Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos and Public Defender Sharone Mitchell.

Through their partnership, we have continued to build a criminal justice system that prioritizes fairness, supports victims and families, and ensures residents can count on the County in times of crisis.

Our responsibility as leaders is to make sure that even as we tighten our belt elsewhere, no one is left without the resources they need to continue reducing violence, saving lives, and creating a more peaceful Cook County.

V. Sustaining an Affordable, Resilient Economy

And safer communities must go hand in hand with stronger, more affordable communities. 

Affordability is the defining challenge for working families right now. 

County government can't set the price of groceries or gas. 

But we can refuse to add to the pressure, and we can put real relief within reach.

Our economic development work is focused on helping residents, businesses and communities weather these pressures while building the stability and opportunity they need for the future.

Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt (or CCLAHD) has become one of the most important safety nets we operate. Since its inception, CCLAHD has served more than 110,000 residents through more than 84,000 free legal consultations.

As a result, Cook County courts have seen 10,000 fewer evictions than before the pandemic, a 20 percent decrease.

We have made our small business community a priority, committing $76 million since 2021 to help more than 4,800 businesses stabilize, grow and create opportunity. 

Just last month, through the Small Business Source, we invested $9.2 million in Catalyst Grants to 92 businesses ready for their next phase of growth.

We’re also partnering with municipalities and community leaders to strengthen commercial corridors, bring underused properties back to productive use, and attract new investment.

The Bureau of Economic Development has also strengthened our work to keep housing affordable and help residents build long-term economic security. 

The Down Payment Assistance Program subsidizes five percent of a home's first loan amount, closing costs, or mortgage buydowns. Since its launch, 700 Cook County families have used it to buy a home.

And our Water Affordability Program has helped to alleviate costs through technical assistance, direct bill relief to eliminate water utility debt, and leak repair assistance to upgrade home fixtures.

These programs mean eviction notices that never get filed, small businesses that made payroll, families who closed on a home, and water bills that stopped piling up.

When residents can stay in their homes, businesses can grow, and communities can attract investment, our entire regional economy is stronger. That is how we continue to make Cook County a great place to live, work, build a business and raise a family.

VI. Protecting Residents When Disaster Strikes

And resilience means more than the strength of our economy; it also means being there when disaster strikes.

In recent summers, severe storms, tornadoes and flash floods have filled basements, damaged homes and knocked out power across our communities, often hitting hardest in communities least able to absorb the cost.

Our Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security is on the frontlines: coordinating with municipalities, the State and first responders, and helping residents navigate recovery.

In 2023, we created the Cook County Disaster Response and Recovery Fund so that when disaster strikes, we can act quickly instead of waiting. 

When the federal government denied disaster assistance after last summer's flooding, we didn't leave families to fend for themselves. 

We passed a $15 million Resident Storm Relief program, that when launched in the coming months, will provide up to $2,000 per household to residents in Chicago and suburban Cook County hit by 2025 storms.

Earlier this week, we committed more than $8 million for debris removal in over a dozen southland communities hit the hardest by this summer’s storms. 

We have already collected more than 100,000 cubic yards of storm debris from these impacted communities – that’s enough to fill 5,700 dump trucks. And it underscores the massive scale of this recovery process. 

For a working family, a flood is an affordability crisis of its own: a ruined furnace, a damaged car, a week of missed work. Our job is to make sure one storm doesn't set a family back for years.

VII. What's Ahead

This year's storm has done real, lasting damage to Cook County’s house.

We can patch the roof and dry out the basement this year with belt-tightening alone.

If federal changes to health care coverage stay the current course, the cost of maintaining our safety net will continue to rise. 

That means we cannot pretend this year’s approach will be enough forever. 

In the years ahead, we will likely need to consider additional revenue to preserve the health care safety net, public safety and other essential services residents depend on.

I believe residents deserve to hear from us now. Not after the next storm hits.

We must continue to balance the needs of government with the realities facing the people we serve. 

This year, we made that choice clear: before asking residents for more, we would ask more of ourselves. 
 

VIII. Conclusion

This budget is built around a simple principle: government should meet people where they are and help them move forward.

We are protecting health care. We are investing in public safety. We are supporting working families, small businesses and communities. 

And we are doing it while maintaining the financial discipline that has strengthened Cook County over the last 15 years.

That work takes all of us.

To our employees — the nurses, correctional officers, case workers, clerks, public defenders, prosecutors, and every person who keeps this County running: thank you. Your work is the reason this government can deliver for residents every single day.

To our Commissioners — thank you for your continued partnership in governing this County and serving the people who call it home.

I also want to recognize:

• Chief of Staff Lanetta Haynes Turner, for her strong, unwavering leadership;
• Bureau Chiefs Zahra Ali, Xochitl Flores, Velisha Haddox, Tom Lynch, and Jamie Meyers;
• General Counsel Laura Lechowicz Felicione;
• Deputy Chiefs of Staff Matt Richards, Mykel Selph, and Cara Yi;
• And Chief Financial Officer Angela Manning-Hardimon, Budget Director Kanako Ishida Musselwhite, and Deputy CFOs Dean Constantinou and Ashley Ramchandani.

We have faced difficult moments before. We have balanced difficult budgets before. And we have continued to invest in the people and communities we serve.

But most importantly, we’ve put Cook County in a stronger position to face what comes next. 

That is our responsibility – to be good stewards of every dollar, to show up when our residents need us, and to make sure Cook County remains a place where people can live, work, raise their families and build a future.

Thank you.