Editorial: Cook County is sitting on a pile of cash. Can it help with the migrant crisis?

Sometimes the best laid plans have to be revisited.

The budget presented last week by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle contained no new taxes or fees. We’re pleased, of course, but it would have been shocking to see any of those revenue sweeteners, given the hundreds of millions in federal cash the county government still has at its disposal.

Of the roughly $1 billion the feds gave the county in response to the pandemic, Cook County has used about $300 million to cover its operations. The remaining $700 million is slated for a host of initiatives — more than 70 — aimed mainly at confronting social and economic inequities that have persisted for decades.

Among these are Preckwinkle’s prized guaranteed-income pilot, which is paying $500 monthly to 3,250 low-income families over two years. Some $42 million of the $700 million is covering the cost of that program.

That’s just one high-profile example of the dozens of programs the county government painstakingly compiled over more than a year as it decided what to do with that $700 million. Many others won’t get off the ground until next year.

Most municipalities quickly spent their federal pandemic funds. The county tried to be thoughtful about how to spend its windfall, most of which is budgeted for the three-year period beginning next year. Preckwinkle takes pride in contrasting her approach to that of other municipal leaders around the country.

We agree. When it comes to spending taxpayer money, thoughtfulness is a laudable attribute. It doesn’t happen all that often.

The risk, though, when sitting on a giant pile of cash for this long a period is that emergencies will surface in the interim begging for resources to address. So it is that, while the county government has methodically developed its equity-focused spending blueprint, Chicago and the region are grappling with how to house and take care of busloads of migrants — now a full-blown crisis.

Preckwinkle has proposed budgeting just $10 million for additional costs tied to providing health care to the growing migrant population. Cook County Hospital and other county facilities essentially are the only source of care for families that in many cases are suffering from afflictions related to their arduous journeys or simply haven’t had the luxury of tending to lingering health problems while fleeing their homelands.

Officials acknowledge the $10 million won’t nearly be sufficient based on what they’ve been seeing over the past several weeks. The total could be tens of millions more.

Of course, the county is but one local municipality dealing with this humanitarian and fiscal crisis. The city of Chicago’s budget hit is expected to be considerably worse — at last word, $300 million or more. Perhaps there will be an even higher estimate tomorrow when Mayor Brandon Johnson presents his budget. We’ve invited him to come and discuss these issues with us.

Preckwinkle, who joined us Thursday, told us the county is in early discussions with the city about providing help with sheltering the migrants. But she was clear that the county considers its primary responsibility to be providing health care. In her view, other governments can handle their own loads.

And, like Johnson, she is calling on the feds to help out more, both with money and a more permanent immigration solution. She’s right to do so. This is a federal responsibility, and the feds under both Republican and Democratic administrations have failed abysmally in addressing border issues festering for decades.

Immigration now looks like a hot-button issue in next year’s election. But that’s over a year from now. Local officials can’t wait for D.C. pols to get their immigration marching orders from the voters before acting. Pragmatist that she is, Preckwinkle must know she can’t count on the feds to ride to the rescue anytime soon.

So our local governments have to plan for the worst. And right now, we don’t see enough evidence of the kind of cooperation that will be needed to see the region through this quagmire. Much is riding on getting in gear, not the least of which is calming what appears to be an increasing number of Chicagoans openly seething about plans or proposals to house the newcomers in their neighborhoods.

Which brings us back to the $700 million the county has earmarked for its equity agenda. We’ve asked about what those resources could be used for besides the 72 programs Preckwinkle and Co. are pursuing.

Property tax relief, whether broad-based or targeted? It’s complicated, but the answer in some other states has been “yes.” County staff say the answer to that question is “maybe.” Preckwinkle was firm regardless. “We’re not going to do it,” she told us.

A break on property taxes, even for a few years, would be most welcome and could be framed as an equity investment, since no small number of city and suburban homeowners are struggling to afford to stay in their homes in the face of rising taxes and utilities.

As to redistributing some of the cash earmarked for the 70-plus projects in order to help with the migrant crisis, county staff again hedged on whether that’s allowed under the federal rules. It’s hard to imagine, though, that a way couldn’t be found to help out and also comply with federal guidelines.

Given that we have a full-blown crisis on our hands, Madame President, how about huddling soonest with the mayor and suburban officials and talking about how the county could provide more help outside of its relatively narrow health care mission?

The county surely could do more on the housing front for starters. There are hundreds of millions yet to be put to use.

Preckwinkle’s equity blueprint contains admirable projects clearly close to her heart. But flexibility is what’s needed now.

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