More than 300 Cook County employees have been given layoff notices, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Friday.
"Today we regrettably laid off more than 300 employees as a result of the County's budget crisis," Preckwinkle said in a statement. "The personnel actions are necessary to address an approximately $68 million gap in our FY2017 that is directly related to the Illinois Retail Merchants Association's lawsuit and Temporary Restraining Order that prohibits us from collecting the Sweetened Beverage Tax."
The tax was projected to raise nearly $70 million in revenue before the end of the year, but with the tax on hold, Preckwinkle mandated cuts at various county agencies, including the Cook County Sheriff's Office and the State's Attorney's Office.
39 employees were given layoff notices at the State’s Attorney’s office, the department announced in a press release.
"Today as the result of the $4 million deficit to our 2017 budget, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office was forced to announce a reduction in our work force," the State's Attorney's Office said.
"Despite this reduction in staff, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office remains committed to working to ensure justice for everyone in our community."
We’ll have more details throughout the afternoon on this developing story.
