Cook County’s post-Sept. 11 security initiative, dubbed Project Shield, which has come under fire for being sharply over budget and years behind schedule, is proving to be an even bigger drain on taxpayers.

Cook County has put it’s check register online, a move that will not only allow the public to track local tax dollars, but could create a wave of similar transparency measures across the state.

Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica (16th District) has introduced legislation (attached) that, if passed, will result in the elimination of the remaining half percent of the sales tax increase pushed through by the Stroger administration in 2008.
The measures will be introduced at tomorrow’s county board meeting and will be referred to the finance committee, [...]

Cook County commissioners voted to override board President Todd Stroger’s veto and cut the county portion of the sales tax from 1.75 percent to 1.25 percent on July 1. Eleven votes were required for approval.

Todd Stroger wasn’t about to quietly accept Tuesday’s historic rebuke from taxpayers who demand reform of his fat government. The Cook County Board president wasn’t going to let board members kill half of his precious full-percentage-point increase in the sales tax without plenty of theatrics and threats.
Board members were not swayed by the exaggerations of [...]

Commissioners Vote 12-5 To Keep Rollback
A group of Cook County commissioners have overridden a veto of their 0.5 percent rollback of the county sales tax. In Chicago, the tax rate is currently 10.25 percent. You’ll save a half a penny on every dollar spent, bringing the new rate down to 9.75 percent.
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Commissioner Peraica is praised in this Sun-Times article about Cook County tax relief.

Commissioner Tony Peraica released the following statement today regarding the racist, threatening message left on Commissioner Deborah Sims’ voicemail…

The state of Illinois has frozen $2.35 million in grant money for Todd Stroger’s job training program – the “President’s Office of Employment and Training” (P.O.E.T.) — for alleged corruption and abuse.

Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica issued the following statement regarding today’s vote by the Cook County Board to rollback the county sales tax by fifty cents.