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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
SUPPORTING THE RESIDENTS OF COOK COUNTY AND FUNDING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR RESIDENTS BY REDUCING THE SALARY OF EACH COOK COUNTY COMMISSIONER AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE COOK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BY $10,000.00 PER ANNUM
WHEREAS, the Cook County Board of Commissioners has recently taken the Community Stabilization and Anti-Violence Act of Cook County under consideration; and
WHEREAS, an aspect of that legislation will raise the taxes on motor fuel by $0.04 per gallon; and
WHEREAS, the tax is expected to generate roughly $50,000,000.00 in additional revenues; and
WHEREAS, the proceeds of this tax shall be reserved, in large part, for the use of the Cook County Jobs Council for the purpose of providing meaningful employment opportunities and employment training to Cook County residents between the ages of 16 and 24; and
WHEREAS, stabilizing communities and reducing violence in the most vulnerable neighborhoods of Cook County are critically important endeavors, requiring sacrifice from all residents of Cook County; and
WHEREAS, residents of Cook County, too often, feel disconnected from the elected officials who serve them; and
WHEREAS, elected officials should make a concerted effort to be an example for the communities who have placed them in a position of power and responsibility; and
WHEREAS, the members of this Board of Commissioners and the President of the Cook County Board receive generous salaries paid for from the tax dollars of the County; and
WHEREAS, in many instances, the salaries that the members of the Board of Commissioners receive are not the sole source of income for the members; and
WHEREAS, the salaries that the members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners receive are substantially greater than the median per capita income of Cook County which is $30,048.00 per year; and
WHEREAS, the senior citizens of Cook County did not receive a Cost of Living Adjustment in their Social Security Benefits for Fiscal Year 2016; and
WHEREAS, the principle of shared sacrifice and the mandate to “do more with less” should apply not just to the citizens of Cook County, but to the elected officials that represent them; and
WHEREAS, shared sacrifice in deed rather than in word will do much to strengthen the trust between the elected officials of Cook County and the people of Cook County.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby support reducing their own salaries by $10,000.00 per annum for the purpose of funding public works projects and creating meaningful jobs for the residents of Cook County who are affected by high unemployment;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the President intends to recommend the appropriation of the funds saved by virtue of the aforementioned reductions in salary be especially dedicated to funding of employment opportunities for residents of Cook County aged 16-24.
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