Legislative Business Forum

Featuring Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Commission Gregg Goslin

Northbrook Chamber members are invited to attend a special legislative forum, co-hosted by the Glenview Chamber, featuring Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle and Commissioner Gregg Goslin, who represents the 14th District which includes Northbrook.  As part of her remarks, President Preckwinkle will share updates on the state of the county, comment on initiatives and finances and discuss many of the issues confronting the region.  
    Like the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago, Cook County faces financial challenges.  Last year the County approved a $4.5 billion budget that included several controversial tax increases, enacted to help plug a shortfall in the county's $6.5 billion government worker pension fund, and to pay for debt, construction projects and technology upgrades.
    Included in the budget was a sales tax hike of 1%, increasing Northbrook's overall sales tax from 8.75% to 9.75%.  In addition, this month a new one percent Cook County tax goes into effect for all hotels, increasing Northbrook's hotel tax rate from 11.5% to 12.5%.  Northbrook businesses have expressed concerns about the ability to stay competitive with bordering Lake County, which has a lower tax rate.
    As part of a large economic development project, President Preckwinkle recently unveiled plans to convert the old Cook County Hospital, which has been vacant for over a decade, into a hotel, residences and retail and office space.
    Cook County with a population of 5.2 million residents is the largest of the 102 Illinois counties.  Geographically, the county is the fifth largest in Illinois in land area, sharing the state's Lake Michigan shoreline with Lake County.  According to the U.S. Census, there are nearly 130,000 businesses in Cook County employing over 2.2 million workers.
    President Preckwinkle first took office in 2010.  She established the County's first performance management initiative to demand more accountability from County operations and employees.  Prior to her election as the Board President, Preckwinkle served 19 years as Alderman of the 4th Ward.  
    President Preckwinkle will take questions immediately following her remarks.The event is free and open exclusively to Chamber members.