Cook County, Illinois

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Contents

Cook County is one of 102 counties in Illinois. It is home to the largest city in Illinois, Chicago.

[edit] Website evaluation

Main Article: Evaluation of Illinois county websites

[edit] The good

  • A full listing of county board members and their contact information is provided.[1]
  • County Board meeting dates, agendas, minutes, and other documents are available.[2]
  • Building and zoning information is available.[3]
  • Budget and financial reports are available[4], as well as quarterly performance reports.[5]
  • County property tax information is available on the county clerk's site,[6] with other tax info available from the Department of Revenue[7]
  • The county released salary information on its transparency portal.[8] [9]

[edit] The bad

[edit] Stroger and Goslin sign transparency pledge

Two members of the Cook County Board signed the transparency pledge during the Open Illinois Counties Project. These men were Gregg Goslin[11] and Cook County President, Todd Stroger[12].

Stroger said in a personal letter attached to the pledge:[13][14]

I have reviewed the Sunshine Review Ten-Point Transparency Checklist and I am proud Cook County discloses a wealth of information on our website. A significant initiative was the redesign of the county’s website which now provides access to much of the information suggested for county websites by the Sunshine Review. As the website continues to evolve, additional information contained in the Checklist will be made accessible.

However, in mid-July, 2009, Stroger refused to release cell phone records following a Freedom of Information Act request. The Better Government Association filed suit for the records and Stroger eventually released them.

[edit] Lobbying

In 2008, Cook County reported $200,000 spent on lobbying. [15]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

Working for accountable government now


  1. ↑ County Leadership
  2. ↑ County Board Proceedings
  3. ↑ Building and Zoning
  4. ↑ Bureau of Finance
  5. ↑ Quarterly Reports
  6. ↑ Property Tax Info
  7. ↑ Department of Revenue
  8. ↑ Employee salaries
  9. ↑ Transparency portal
  10. ↑ Public Records Request form
  11. ↑ IPI transparency pledge, Goslin
  12. ↑ IPI transparency pledge, Stroger
  13. ↑ Sam Adams Alliance, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger signs Transparency in Government Pledge, June 3, 2009
  14. ↑ Crain's Chicago Business, High-speed rail, Stroger kudos and water race, June 1, 2009
  15. ↑ Cook County - Open Secrets
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