title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
ALLOCATION MODIFICATION OF THE DISASTER RESPONSE AND RECOVERY FUND
WHEREAS, in August 2022, the State of Texas started a coordinated effort of funding buses to transport new arrivals to the United States at the southwest border to various cities across the country with a focus on Chicago; and
WHEREAS, the unannounced nature of bus arrivals created an unsafe and chaotic situation leading local government entities to respond to this humanitarian crisis; and
WHEREAS, Cook County and Cook County Health have assisted the City of Chicago since the inception of the new arrivals operation with emergency management support and Cook County Health standing up a new clinic at Belmont Cragin exclusively to care for over 24,000 new arrival patients; and
WHEREAS, there was a drastic increase in buses sent to Chicago with a peak of 15 buses in a single day and over 2,800 individual new arrivals in one week in September 2023; and
WHEREAS, this influx caused overcrowding at Chicago Police Department precinct locations and the need for several additional shelter openings; and
WHEREAS, bus companies began dropping new arrivals in scattered locations across Cook County and surrounding collar counties destabilizing and decentralizing the operation; and
WHEREAS, to protect the public health, safety, and welfare of current and future Cook County residents, Cook County established the Disaster Response and Recovery Fund to address Cook County’s needs in response to proclamations of disaster, including proclamations of disaster related to the influx of new arrivals; and
WHEREAS, in FY 2024 the Board of Commissioners voted to fund the Disaster Response and Recovery Fund (DRRF) with $100,000,000.00, of which $70,000,000.00 was allocated for new arrival health care costs, $20,000,000.00 was allocated for municipal or local government costs related to disaster response and recovery, which may include support for new arrivals, and $10,000,000.00 was allocated for other Cook County disaster response and recovery events that may transpire in FY 2024. It was stated that the allocations provided herein may be modified but any such modifications shall be subject to the approval of the Cook County Board of Commissioners; and
WHEREAS, given the unstable nature of the new arrivals operation and the potential for greater suburban involvement, the DRRF allocations well-positioned Cook County to best respond to the new arrivals operation at the time; and
WHEREAS, Cook County Health has expanded capacity at the Belmont Cragin clinic, added mobile teams in shelters and refined its data which has provided better cost projections for FY 2024; and
WHEREAS, as a result of data refinement, Cook County Health has determined that it has the capacity to address its new arrival healthcare costs through the budget appropriation, including using salvage to cover the costs that were previously anticipated to be paid for from the DRRF; and
WHEREAS, Cook County has worked in partnership with the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois to analyze migration, arrival, cost, and resettlement data and anticipated costs of related shelter, food, and wraparound services for Calendar Year 2024; and
WHEREAS, the analysis undertaken by the State, City of Chicago and County identified a $321 million gap in funding to address costs related to funding operations for the new arrivals; and
WHEREAS, President Preckwinkle has committed to working with the County Board to provide $70 million in County funds to assist in funding the gap, and Governor Pritzker has requested $182 million in funding in the State’s FY25 budget; and
WHEREAS, this additional investment from Cook County is necessary to safely stabilize the new arrivals operation as we all collectively respond to this humanitarian crisis; and
WHEREAS, the $70 million in the DRRF committed for new arrival healthcare costs may be shifted for DRRF municipal and/or local government use; and
WHEREAS, due to Cook County Health now being able to cover the costs through the budget appropriation, the $70 million shifted for DRRF municipal and/or local government use will be used to support the new arrival operations in the City of Chicago and this use will continue to contribute to the overall health of new arrivals by committing to covering the cost of food service for new arrivals in Calendar Year 2024.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, in accordance with the FY 2024 Appropriation Resolution, the Cook County Board of Commissioners authorizes the $70 million allocation for healthcare costs for new arrival operations in the DRRF to be reallocated for municipal/local government disaster response and recovery in the DRRF to support the new arrival mission; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security shall be authorized to enter into an agreement with the City of Chicago to reimburse the City of Chicago for food service or other new arrival operating costs throughout calendar year 2024 in an amount not to exceed $70 million from the municipal/local government allocation in the DRRF; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, in accordance with Resolution 23-5710 the Department of Budget and Management Services shall work with the Chief Financial Officer, and Executive Director of the Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security to provide a quarterly written report to the Cook County Board of Commissioners upon the use of the DRRF for the City of Chicago as authorized herein.
end