Court Battle Over Cook County Job Cuts

CHICAGO (CBS) — A fierce court battle between two political powerhouses is looming in Cook County.

It’s a result of the sweetened beverage tax that fizzled today.

CBS 2’s Susanna Song has the story.

Chief Judge Timothy Evans is suing Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

The hearing is taking place at the Daley Center.

Evans wants an injunction to stop court layoffs. As of now 156 of his employees are slated to lose their jobs.

Judge Evans argues Preckwinkle does not have the authority to cut those jobs.

He wants sufficient financial support to ensure the proper operation of the court system.

Preckwinkle long insisted the beverage tax was needed to keep services and jobs intact.

She now defends the budget passed by the board last week, saying delays to the reductions will only result in deeper cuts later.

The penny an ounce charge on sweetened beverages is now a thing of the past in Cook County.

Customers at a 7-11 on Wacker and Wabash definitely noticed.

Some say they avoided buying pop in Cook County until today. Others say tax or no tax, the habit is hard to break.

“With tax $1.37. Today? Back to $1.09,” says customer Brian Tobin who admits it didn’t affect his soda habit. “I could get more Coke, more drinks so it’s good.”

“Considering I was paying a little bit more for non-sweetened beverages I did stop buying them for a little while. I’m not going to lie. This is the first one I’ve had in six months,” says customer Bethany Futrell. “The revenue can come from somewhere else.”

As for the lawsuit, to avoid conflicts of interest, a Lake County judge was brought in for today’s preliminary hearing.

 

from CBS Chicago http://ift.tt/2iwWQXR