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As voters in the Fifth Congressional District head to the polls today to decide who will finally and once and for all (or at least until 2010) replace Rahm Emanuel in congress, voters in Palatine, Barrington and Hanover townships will consider an advisory, non-binding vote on leaving Cook County. Anger over recent tax hikes is still very much an issue in the northwest suburb. The Northwest suburb started talking about leaving Cook County around this time last year, after the county sales tax increased the cost of retail purchases. For most Chicagoans, it's a fate they're largely forced to accept. But in Palatine, which borders Lake County, sales have dropped as people do their shopping across the county border.
"I think forming another county would be worth looking at,'' Palatine Mayor Rita Mullins told the Sun-Times recently, but not without changes in state law and more support from other municipalities. In fact, leaving Cook County isn't a new notion. In the 1970's, those three suburbs, along with Wheeling, Schaumburg, and Elk Grove Village considered breaking away to form Lincoln County. Former Palatine mayor and state senator Wendell Jones was long a proponent of the idea. And in 2004 a group of 55 south suburban municipalities tried to organize around secession as well, although they were motivated by economic development, an issue they felt Chicago politicians were ignoring. Neither proposal went far.
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During that 70s attempt at succession (to form "Lincoln County"), someone at Cook County put together an estimate of the value of the County infrastructure in the area of proposed succession and (informally) said "fine, buy out the infrastructure and have at it." At that time (roughly 30 years ago) the infrastructure was valued at US$1 Billion. If Palatine really wants out, write the County the check and have fun supporting your own County level services. Between the inefficiency of such a small scale operation and the debt service for the infrastructure buy-out, I'd be surprised if the residents and businesses see much of a tax cut.
(None of this is to say that the gross "inefficiencies" under the current bozo fest in Cook County are acceptable. But we elected them, we have ourselves to blame. If the sensible residents of both Chicago and the 'burbs would get together and give a damn we could certainly elect enough responsible people to the County posts to really clean house. But this suburban succession crap (with all it's racist undertones) is a cop out.)
Being a "small scale operation" isn't such a bad thing for some suburbs. They always don't suffer from the "inefficiencies" you've suggested. One of the many particular reasons that many people move to the 'burbs is because it offers less red-tape bureaucracy when trying to form the kind of community you wish to live in. For better or worse, provincialism is human nature.
I fail to see why they would have to buy out the infrastructure.
The townships west of O'Hare have paid taxes to Cook County for the same period of time as the rest of us.
They paid for their infrastructure.
And they could counter with how little they need either the huge county jail or hospital.
My best guess is that a appellate court would call it a wash.
And the new county would get itself the courthouse in Rolling Meadows, the pick of the sheriff's police, not that there's much good there to pick from & a bunch of cars & trucks along with any county land out there.
Or they could try to join Lake or Kane counties.
And I live in the city & would love to see Cook County break up.
O.K. I've always supported Pat Quinn over the regular democratic organizations,
but Stroger's increase to fund the independent Cook County Health Facility and the County Jail run by Tom Dart is nothing compared to Pat Quinn's behemoth 50 percent increase. So is Palatine & Co gonna succeed from Illinois?