Nearly everyone who offered their views Thursday at a hearing on the proposed new sales tax for Cook County gave the measure a hearty endorsement. That wasn`t unexpected.
Virtually all of the 35 people who testified have a stake in the tax, which County Board President Richard Phelan says is needed to cover the rising costs of providing health care to the poor and running a criminal-justice system.
Most of those testifying are in the health-care field, primarily as advocates of providing health care to the poor. Without Cook County Hospital, the scene of Thursday`s hearing and a primary recipient of whatever revenue would be generated from the tax, the county`s poor would lose their safety net, as one doctor who testified Thursday put it.
Opponents of the tax had accused Phelan of stacking the first public hearing April 16, an event that featured dozens of endorsements for the tax but drew scant media attention because it came during the first days of the Chicago flood.
Those accusations were reiterated Thursday.
”These are the same people we hear from during our budget hearings. There are no new voices here,” said Commissioner Richard Siebel (R-Northbrook). ”These are the same people, particularly those in the health care field, who come in and say, `Spend more money.` They don`t come in with any ideas as to where you can economize and where you can better utilize your resources.”
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Administration officials conceded they had solicited some of the favorable testimony from organizations backing the .75 percent sales tax. But they said the testimony had been sought to show the County Board why the tax was vital.
Finance Committee Chairman John Stroger (D-Chicago) who had originally planned five public hearings, added a sixth Thursday to counter criticism that none of the sites were easily accessible. The sixth hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. May 1 at the County Building.