Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle gained an appreciative Palatine audience Monday night during the village's board meeting.
Though Preckwinkle couldn't yet respond to some key resident questions -- including the total value of services Cook County provides to the village, the Daily Herald points out -- she asked them to give her time to catch up on Palatine's financial situation.
As opposed to her predecessor's village appearance in the summer of 2008, residents seemed OK with her request.
In the past, Palatine and neighboring communities have discussed seceding from Cook County, saying they're not seeing enough return on the roughly $20 million that village residents send to county coffers.
But Preckwinkle stood firm Monday on Palatine staying in the county. She said the village would gain nothing if they broke away and asked for an opportunity to provide better governance than former County President Todd Stroger's team.
She noted that Northwest suburban residents benefit from the two-thirds of the county budget that goes to health care and criminal justice and that the area's forest preserves are more accessible to suburban residents than Chicagoans.
Some village councilmen said they're still unsure of Palatine's county return, but they were pleased Preckwinkle's budget cuts. For now, Palatine seems to be staying put.
