Cook County should post its check register on line for all citizens to see, Commissioner Tony Peraica (R-Riverside) said today.

Whether that happens depends on the County Board, which would have to approve Peraica's resolution mandating the new policy. Peraica often throws out proposals but not many of them pass muster.

Posting the register would allow residents “to see where their money is being spent and perhaps wasted,” Peraica said.
He also said the data could be compared to campaign disclosure reports, to see which vendors receiving county checks also are making political donations.

The only other of Illinois’ 102 counties to post its check register on line is DuPage, which recently took the step recently.

“We are not changing the law,” Andrzejewski said, noting that county payments are considered public information subject to the state Freedom of Information Act. “We are simply changing county policy.”

There was no immediate response from County Board President Todd Stroger to Peraica’s proposal.

Click link below "Chicago Tribune" to read the article.