INSIDE
SPORTS Maine South defeats Niles West PAGE 11
www.nilesbugle.com
NEWS Student charged for making online threats to school district PAGE 2
Our Community, Our News
TRANSPORTATION
PACE, METRA RIDERS WILL SOON BE TRANSITIONING TO VENTRA PAYMENT SYSTEM
Riders will be able to transfer their magnetic card balances to the new Ventra card at events throughout November SEE ABOARD • PAGE 3
ONLINE More news at buglenewspapers.com
NOVEMBER 7, 2013
Vol. 58 No. 5
BUDGET
County looks to reduce deficit Cook County’s 2014 budget to reduce deficit without adding new taxes, fines or fees By Alex V. Hernandez Staff Reporter
Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle says her proposed 2014 budget reduces the deficit and doesn’t include any new taxes, fines or fees. The total proposed budget for the next fiscal year is $3.5 billion. “This budget reflects my administration’s work over the past three years and is a testament to the reforms we have put in place to institutionalize fiscal responsibility in county government,” Preckwinkle said. “We are not raising taxes and we are prioritizing spending. We have solved for more than $1.2 billion in deficits since I took office while improving services.” In June there was a preliminary deficit of $152 million, but Preckwinkle said that has been eliminated thanks to reforms she’s put into place and to the prioritizing of spending. This included an increase in anticipated Cook County Health and Hospitals System payments of $86.5 million and $10.5 million in savings. The proposed budget also works off the assumption that a big part of its revenue will come from money the county is getting from Affordable Care Act. “We provide a half a billion dollars in charity care every year, See DEFICIT, page 22