[BCNnet] Cook County Commissioners raided Forest Preserve District funds

[Randi Doeker - Chicago]

Following up Chris' posting:  Today the Cook Co. Commissioners transferred
$13,291,066.00 from the Forest Preserve to the County. 

 

This will be covered in the papers and on TV. Much will be made of this
being a loan repayment for money that the County gave the FP five years ago.
Hopefully the press will also explain that the Commissioners who went back
to the official records (John Daley, for one) pointed out that the money in
question was a grant from the County to the FP.  It was definitely not a
loan that had to be repaid.

 

What was not discussed is that this happened in the first place because the
financial records at the FP and County were a mess and it appeared that the
County took FP tax revenues to pay some Stroger Hospital bills. [The facts
on these actions never come out because it would embarrass someone...who is
likely related to an elected official. ]

 

Confused reporters may even believe the statements that this $13million is
surplus funds that the Forest Preserve doesn't need.  And they may believe
that the FP will get land from the County as an exchange.

 

There's a lot more to these stories.  If you want to help, please join
Friends of the Forest Preserves: http://www.fotfp.org
<http://www.fotfp.org/> 

 

Randi Doeker

Chicago

 

 

  _____  

From: bcnnet-bounces at ece.iit.edu [mailto:bcnnet-bounces at ece.iit.edu] On
Behalf Of Birdchris at aol.com
Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 11:00 PM
To: bcnnet at ece.iit.edu
Subject: [BCNnet] BCNnet: Action Alert: Urge Cook County not to raid
ForestPreserve District 

 

 

ACTION ALERT

 

Take action to protect Cook County Forest Preserves! 

 

Action: Contact your Cook County Commissioner on Feb. 6 and tell him or her
to vote NO on Feb. 7 to taking $11 million from the budget of the Forest
Preserve District of Cook County to the county's budget shortfall.

 

Please call, fax or email your Cook County Commissioner on Tues., Feb. 6 and
ask for a NO vote. You can find out who your commissioner is and how to
contact his or her office at
http://www.fotfp.org/pdf-files/commissioners.pdf

 

You may also speak during the public comment period at the regularly
scheduled Cook County Board meeting on Weds., Feb. 7 at 10:00 a.m. at the
County Building at 118 N Clark St, 5th floor. 

 

Background:

 

On Jan. 11, the Cook County Board of Commissioners announced its plan to
take $11 million from the budget of the Forest Preserve District of Cook
County to help balance the Cook County budget shortfall. 

 

Commissioners will vote on this proposal at the regular meeting on Feb. 7.

 

While other county departments are being asked to reduce their budgets by
17%, the Forest Preserve District is being asked to cut its budget by 25%.
This sort of budget maneuvering is especially egregious, given that the
Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a separate governmental agency
established by state statute: It is not a department of Cook County. 

 

The proposal to take $11 million from the Forest Preserve District would not
go far toward solving the county's $500 million budget shortfall, but would
greatly restrict the Forest Preserve District's ability to properly manage
the 68,000 acres of public lands within its care for wildlife and human use.


 

Cook County Commissioners have other means at their disposal to reduce the
budget deficit and should not raid the budget that enables the county to
preserve, protect and manage precious natural areas.

 

Please take five minutes and phone, email or fax your Cook County
Commissioner or come to the Feb. 7 meeting and let Commissioners express
your opposition to this $11 million raid on Forest Preserve District budget.

 

Questions? Please contact COS Conservation Chair, Christine Williamson, at
birdchris at aol.com or 773.935-8439. 

 

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