After losing a minimum of $2 million of taxpayer funds to corrupt employees, the Cook County president’s office of employment training is trying to improve its image.  However, the image improvement came with a $10,000 price tag.  The POET decided to give all of its 73 employees sports coats or vests with the county’s logo.

What makes it even worst is that the county did not have to spend between $140 to $230 per jacket.  One company’s bid was $49 per item, and the total cost would have been just $3,577.

Since the main reason given of why the sport coats or vests were needed was for identification purposes, the county could have saved even more money by substituting with another item, a name tag with the county logo, perhaps.

However, the money that the POET spent seems minimal in comparison to the $113,550 that the cook county circuit court clerk’s office spent to give its 1,900 union employees smocks, and blazers to all of its the clerks.

Click link below: “Daily Herald” to read the article.

Cook County agency pays $10,000 to dress employees for success

Vests, coats meant to instill professionalism, make workers stand out

By Rob Olmstead | Daily Herald Staff

8/25/2008 1:40 PM