Can live with funding levels, taxes: Devine

Chicago Daily Law Bulletin

November 2, 2007

By Stephanie Potter

Cook County State's Attorney Richard A. Devine indicated Friday that he supports a tax increase to cover pay increases that the county board recently gave to prosecutors.

"As a general matter, I do support the concept that we have asked for it, you have given it to us and now we have to pay for it," Devine said.

The pay hikes, approved in July, came in response to protests from prosecutors who said their pay lagged seriously behind that of their unionized counterparts in the public defender's office.

Speaking during his annual budget address to the County Board's Finance Committee, Devine said some form of new revenue is needed so that prosecutors can continue to be fairly compensated.

However, Devine questioned the wisdom of tax proposals in Board President Todd H. Stroger's recommended $3.2 billon budget that ultimately would generate more revenue than is needed to close the county's projected $239 deficit for the 2008 fiscal year.

[...]

Some commissioners questioned Devine about increasing efficiency in the court system, with Commissioner Michael B. Quigley saying that courtrooms throughout the county often sit unused in the afternoon.

Another Finance Committee meeting is planned for next week at which Devine, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart, Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy A. Brown and Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans are expected to talk about coordination of services and ways to increase revenue.

Devine assured Quigley that "if there are afternoon court calls, commissioner, we'll be there."

Devine said he has worked with other public safety officials in the past and agreed that more efforts at coordination are needed.

He noted a successful effort between his office, the public defender's office and Criminal Division Presiding Judge Paul P. Biebel Jr. to reduce the backlog of criminal cases pending for more than two years.

"That's something we should do regularly," Devine said. "It should be an ongoing part of the process."

Copyright 2007, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin

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