Judge rules Cook County misspent $243 million in transportation funding
A Circuit Court judge ruled that Cook County misspent millions of dollars in funding for transportation.
The judge ruled the county's use of $243 million in tax revenue violated the Safe Roads Amendment in the Illinois Constitution.
The county argued it was allowed to use tax dollars for things that enforce the rules of the road, like the sheriff, state's attorney and Circuit Court clerk.
The suit was originally filed in 2018 by the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Alliance, a construction, design and maintenance firm trade group, opposing that policy. The judge sided with them.
The county released a statement on the ruling, writing in part, "The County is disappointed with the ruling. However, the Circuit Court acknowledged the complexity of these novel issues, recognizing that 'the County's efforts to comply with the Amendment are not unreasonable, given the relative lack of clarity of the Amendment's application to the County budget.'"
"The County remains committed to continuing to use transportation funding in a fully transparent and compliant manner," the statement continued.