Board of Commissioners of Cook County - File #: 15-6190

• File #: 15-6190
• Version: 1
• Name: REQUESTING TO PRESENT A PUBLIC QUESTION VIA A COUNTYWIDE REFERENDUM ABOLISHING THE OFFICE OF THE COOK COUNTY RECORDER OF DEEDS
• Type: Resolution
• Status: Approved
• File created: 10/22/2015
• In control: Finance Committee
• On agenda: 10/28/2015
• Final action: 6/29/2016
• Title: PROPOSED RESOLUTION REQUESTING TO PRESENT A PUBLIC QUESTION VIA A COUNTYWIDE REFERENDUM ABOLISHING THE OFFICE OF THE COOK COUNTY RECORDER OF DEEDS WHEREAS, Cook County government continues to make concerted efforts to address current and future budgetary constraints by rightsizing governmental operations, improving efficiency and eliminating redundancy in operations, among other measures; and WHEREAS, the County currently has 29 separately elected officials, some of whom oversee administrative offices; and WHEREAS, the Cook County Recorder of Deeds is tasked with keeping accurate records of land transactions for public and private review; maintaining official records of UCC, tax liens and lien releases; and recording and maintaining other official records; and WHEREAS, the key functions of the Cook County Clerk include maintaining vital records and other official records, administering elections, and maintaining County tax maps and calculating tax rates; and WHEREAS,...
• Sponsors: JOHN A. FRITCHEY

Date	Ver.	Action By	Motion	Result
6/29/2016	1	Finance Committee	amend	Pass
6/29/2016	1	Board of Commissioners	approve as amended	Pass
6/29/2016	1	Finance Committee	recommend for deferral	Fail
6/29/2016	1	Finance Committee	recommend for approval as amended	Pass
6/29/2016	1	Finance Committee	reconsider	Fail
10/28/2015	1	Board of Commissioners	refer	Pass

title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION

REQUESTING TO PRESENT A PUBLIC QUESTION VIA A COUNTYWIDE REFERENDUM ABOLISHING THE OFFICE OF THE COOK COUNTY RECORDER OF DEEDS

WHEREAS, Cook County government continues to make concerted efforts to address current and future budgetary constraints by rightsizing governmental operations, improving efficiency and eliminating redundancy in operations, among other measures; and

WHEREAS, the County currently has 29 separately elected officials, some of whom oversee administrative offices; and

WHEREAS, the Cook County Recorder of Deeds is tasked with keeping accurate records of land transactions for public and private review; maintaining official records of UCC, tax liens and lien releases; and recording and maintaining other official records; and

WHEREAS, the key functions of the Cook County Clerk include maintaining vital records and other official records, administering elections, and maintaining County tax maps and calculating tax rates; and

WHEREAS, functions that are narrowly drawn and administrative in nature provide an excellent opportunity for consolidation with another office; and

WHEREAS, record-keeping is an administrative function shared by both the County Clerk's Office and the County Recorder of Deeds, with many of the Recorder's duties aligning with already existing divisions under the Clerk; and

WHEREAS, only 2 of the 10 largest counties in the United States have a separately elected Recorder of Deeds and Clerk; and

WHEREAS, it is anticipated that a merger of the Cook County Clerk and Cook County Recorder of Deeds could save the County over $1 million dollars annually through a more efficient provision of services while also centralizing record-keeping and improving customer service; and

WHEREAS, Article VII, Section 4(c) of the Constitution of the State of Illinois states, "Any office may be created or eliminated and the terms of office and manner of selection changed by county-wide referendum"; ...