President Stroger’s office is predicting a budget shortfall for the coming year of $307 million. On Monday, October 1, the County Board will be discussing a proposal to raise the county portion of sales tax from .75% to 2.75%. The revenue generated by this proposal could mean an addional $749 million in annual revenue for Cook County.
What does this mean for us in the Public Defender Office? This means another season of political debate about where to shave County operating expenses, another season of fighting to protect our Office and our clients, and another call for assistant public defenders to get involved in these very serious matters that effect us all.