By Alice Yin, includes “Cook County’s budget next year would grow to a whopping $8 billion under a proposal revealed by board President Toni Preckwinkle, whose administration cast the balanced plan as another sign the county will weather the COVID-19 pandemic’s financial hits. The $8.04 billion spending recommendation — over $1 billion more than Preckwinkle’s final budget for 2021 — would not include any new taxes, fines, fees or layoffs, she said in a Thursday speech. In fact, the county’s workforce would grow 7% from 2020 levels …”