Cook County governments have now amassed $139 billion in debt, a 30 percent increase over the last 5 years.

Nearly three months removed from the initial call for review of the property tax system, Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios refuses to provide a timeline for completion and release.

The average salary for Cook County workers has far outpaced that of the typical Cook County household since 2001, and that’s contributed to the county’s fiscal ills.

If aggrieved taxpayers don’t also demand fixes to underlying spending problems, calls for additional tax hikes will return. And they’ll be stronger than ever.

With the repeal of the Cook County sweetened beverage tax, taxpayers remind elected officials who they represent.

The Cook County Board Finance Committee voted Oct. 10 in favor of an ordinance to repeal the unpopular sweetened beverage tax. The repeal measure now awaits a vote before the full board.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle shared an admission that the soda tax was always about revenue.

A new report from Can the Tax and the Illinois Food Retailers Association shows that beverage sales for Cook County retailers are down since 2016.