Cook County commissioners are trying to slim down their 2008 budget. They have a $238-million deficit. Today commissioners wrestled with cutting the budgets of individual county departments.

Commissioners had been working with county agencies; from the Sheriff’s Department to the State’s Attorney’s office. The goal was to find out where each department could reduce spending. Specifically, how a 13 percent less money would effect the work they do.

One by one, commissioners went down the list of departments. Here’s Commissioner Jerry Butler, who worked with the Bureau of Health Services.

BUTLER: The basic outcome of the meetings is that, and the committee agreed with this, that we could no longer do any further cuts in the Bureau of Health without destroying it entirely.

Every department had similar dire predictions. Meantime, County Board President Todd Stroger supports increasing the sales tax. Something many commissioners don’t agree with. The deadline for approving a budget is three weeks from today.