Cook County

What does the County do?

• Provides health services through Cook County Hospital and a network of 23 community-based clinics.
• Operates the largest criminal and civil court system in the world and the largest single-site jail in the country.
• Maintains the Cook County Forest Preserves, one of the largest open space systems in the world, with over 67,700 acres, 10 golf courses, over 200 miles of multi-use trails, as well as swimming pools, toboggan runs, lakes and the world renowned Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Botanic Garden.
• Provides municipal services such as policing and zoning for unincorporated areas and maintains nearly 600 miles of roads.

What does the Cook County Board of Commissioners do?

• The Cook County Board of Commissioners is the legislative body for Cook County, whose 5.4 million residents make it the second most populous county in the country.
• The County Board oversees the County's 23,000 employees and is responsible for its $2.4 billion annual budget.
• The Board also serves as the board of the Cook County Forest Preserve.
• It levies taxes, passes ordinances and approves all county purchases over $10,000.
• The County Board exercises control over other elected officials through passage of their budgets and approval of bond issues, contracts and special large expenditures.
• For the suburban areas, the county provides health, economic development and environmental control services.

For more information, click here to visit the County's website.