Illinois State Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza is immediately suspending all “offset” funds to the Village of Dolton. “Offsets” refers to money collected from state payments our office withholds from people who owe traffic tickets or other money to municipalities such as Dolton.
This is because for about two years now, the administration of Mayor Tiffany Henyard has willfully refused to turn over the annual reports all municipalities are required to file with the Illinois Office of Comptroller, including an annual financial report, a financial audit, and three Tax Increment Financing District (TIF) reports.
“When municipalities around Illinois are having legitimate problems filing their annual reports with us, based on staffing or other issues, we earnestly work with them to get them into compliance,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “Dolton is different. The Mayor’s office has refused to communicate with us or address the problem. If Mayor Henyard refuses to follow state law, my office will use the tools at our disposal to safeguard the interests of Dolton’s citizens.”
Our office has been notifying the village of this delinquency over the past two years.
Village Clerk Allison Key emailed our office: “As Village Clerk, I have been unable to reply to FOIAs because the Village Administrator, Keith Freeman, has instructed department heads not to reply to any FOIA request coming from me. Therefore, I am unable to get information requested. My office doesn’t maintain all files for the village. He has illegally removed me as FOIA officer without board of trustees’ knowledge or vote of approval. He has continued to interfere with the FOIA process for the past 2 years.”
Our office advised Clerk Key that she should contact the Attorney General Public Access Counselor who is responsible for FOIA violation investigations. https://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/File-A-Complaint/.
According to published reports, Mayor Henyard cannot be located following a series of controversies, allegations of corruption and multiple investigations by local and federal agencies.
Our office’s preference would be to help the remaining members of Dolton’s government to come back into compliance with state statute about annual filing of reports with our office. We would be happy to resume disbursements of fine collections referred to our office but will not do so until they file the overdue reports.
In 2023, our office sent the Village of Dolton $120,000 offset from state payments to residents such as income tax refunds and lottery winnings. These represented unpaid fines owed to the Village of Dolton from these residents such as traffic and parking fines and other judgments. This year the village is on track to receive about $135,000.
State statute requires our office to initiate forced audits of towns that stop complying with laws to file annual reports with our office. We also have the authority to level fines. If Dolton continues failing to file reports, we will initiate forced audits and fines.
Our office can assess fines of approximately $7,000 per year per unfiled report, totaling $78,600 for Dolton as of today. That would be in addition to the roughly $135,000 the Village of Dolton could lose in offset fines our office sends the village on an annual basis if its administration does not resume filing reports.
The village last filed its 2021 reports in 2022. But the 2022 and 2023 reports are unfiled and delinquent.
Our office notified the village today of the immediate suspension of offset funds and that a forced audit and fines will begin soon if the village does not come into compliance with the law.
- btowntruth from forgottonia - Thursday, Aug 15, 24 @ 1:36 pm:
“According to published reports, Mayor Henyard cannot be located….”
Tooooootally normal mayoral behavior….
The FOIA thing though….there should be people getting fired if not arrested over that.
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Aug 15, 24 @ 1:53 pm:
I am not being sarcastic but I wonder if she is ill or something it makes no sense. What could her agenda possibly be. I would think the AG would be involved. There must be someway for state to take over. It seems like the FBI is taking its time.
- Roman - Thursday, Aug 15, 24 @ 1:57 pm:
Mendoza has demonstrated a talent for squeezing good publicity out of an office that doesn’t really lend itself to that. The Chicago media loves Tiffany Heynard stories, so they’ll eat this one up.
She’s also inserted herself in the Pedro Martinez controversy by defending his rejection of Brandon Johnson’s high interest, short term loan proposal for CPS.
She’s got a long climb back from her disastrous 2019 mayoral campaign, but she’s making progress.
- Dance Band on the Titanic - Thursday, Aug 15, 24 @ 2:02 pm:
“According to published reports, Mayor Henyard cannot be located….”
Perhaps check for her in countries that don’t have extradition treaties with the U.S.
- JoanP - Thursday, Aug 15, 24 @ 2:04 pm:
= According to published reports, Mayor Henyard cannot be located… =
The only report like that I’ve seen is a CBS news story saying, “Henyard hasn’t responded to requests for comment, and wasn’t at Dolton Village Hall on Friday.” https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/dolton-mayor-tiffany-henyard-financial-probe-lori-lightfoot/
I’m not sure that translates to “cannot be located” or “nowhere to be found”.
- estubborn - Thursday, Aug 15, 24 @ 2:22 pm:
It’s about time. Hopefully her office can initiate a complaint process so it doesn’t take three years to take such action to compel compliance from a public body. The Comptroller halts payments to contractors performing work for state agencies if they’ve been alerted of pending IDOL investigations. This is a great move by Comptroller Mendoza to help restore public trust and dissuade future bad actors from emulating Henyard’s brazen and illegal style of governing. Dolton and Thornton Township residents believe the Governor and AG have dragged their feet on holding Henyard’s administrations accountable due to her political connections within the Democratic Party. I’m happy to see the state do something in response to the absurdity stemming from Henyard’s administration. Waiting for the Feds to clean house isn’t enough.
It’s also time to revisit prohibiting elected officials to hold more than one elected position. Super-Mayor Henyard has changed history with regard to how much financial damage an elected official can cause in a short period of time. Voters also need a manner to recall elected officials. Dolton residents voted to remove her office. This could have saved them millions of dollars if the court didn’t overturn the will of the voters.
- Joe Biden Playing Golf - Thursday, Aug 15, 24 @ 2:27 pm:
Everytime Mendoza makes a smart political play, the staffers for the other Dem’s with ambitions start trashing her here. Its slight, its snarky, it jealousy. Susana is a shrewd political operator, and has lots of upside. It’s the reason she got more votes than anyone else in the last election.
- Don't lose Sight - Thursday, Aug 15, 24 @ 2:32 pm:
Illinois is sadly one of the few states where a Politician this corrupt and inept could stay in office as long as she has.
- Dotnonymous x - Thursday, Aug 15, 24 @ 2:41 pm:
Tif on the lam?
- Peoples Republic of Oak Park - Thursday, Aug 15, 24 @ 2:41 pm:
Good on Suzanna
To the whole Dolton situation. Henyard is a stark example, just like Trump, why the rule of law is not enough to run democracy. You need people who has respect for norms and institutions.
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Aug 15, 24 @ 2:41 pm:
- Illinois is sadly one of the few states where a Politician this corrupt and inept could stay in office as long as she has. -
It’s 2 years into her first term, what are you talking about? She’s been under a spotlight the entire time.
- Huh? - Thursday, Aug 15, 24 @ 2:56 pm:
Did someone who may have been raiding the piggy bank go on the lam?
- Politix - Thursday, Aug 15, 24 @ 3:03 pm:
Two years of known grift and she still has a job. Huh.