The Cook County Finance Committee meets for budget hearings on Oct. 27, 2025. [Livestream]

Cook County commissioners on Monday kicked off their 2026 budget hearings with an overview of the county government’s finances and threats of federal grant losses from the County Bureau of Finance and the Offices Under the President (OUP). 

Earlier this month, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle proposed a $10.01 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, a small 0.7 percent, or $71.8 million, increase over this year’s budget. The budget recommendation closes a $211.4 million gap that is somewhat evenly split between the General Fund and the Health Enterprise Fund and was closed through a combination of higher-than-expected revenue, one-time unassigned fund transfers and labor savings.