Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle says county employees can expect to pay more for health benefits in the future. She spoke with reporters to mark her 100th day in office. Preckwinkle said the salaries of government workers have improved over the years. But she said the benefits many county employees receive are not sustainable.

“We have to step up as employees and pay a greater proportion of our health care,” Preckwinkle said. “We also have built into our system, longevity increases for people, so it’s based simply on tenure and not performance or increased skill levels. So there are a lot of things we have to look at and talk to our labor unions about.”

Preckwinkle said she’s also thinking of consolidating some county services to balance the budget in the future. Preckwinkle has pledged to cut more of the county’s sales tax by 2013.