The Illinois State Comptroller has cut funding payments to a small town after the embattled town mayor refused to turn over financial reports.
Susana Mendoza said she would immediately suspend payments from the “compensation” fund to Dolton after the town failed to submit financial reports.
The money is on track to total $135,000, according to The Chicago Tribuneand is threatening to fine them a total of $78,600 if they do not submit the reports.
Mayor Tiffany Henyard has clung to power despite criticism over her handling of Dolton and alleged wasteful spending.
Mendoza said Henyard had “deliberately refused to submit the annual reports that all municipalities are required to submit” to his office.
Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard is said to have racked up exorbitant bills, including $40,000 spent on Amazon in a single day.
Compensation money is raised from fines and parking tickets that a person in the community has not paid. Last year, Dolton raised $120,000
The reports include a financial report, a financial audit, and reports on the performance of Dolton’s three tax increment financing districts.
Compensation money is collected from fines and parking tickets that someone in the community has not paid.
The comptroller withholds that money from state income tax refunds before distributing it to cities. Last year, Dolton collected $120,000.
Susana Mendoza, seen here, said she would immediately suspend payments from the “compensation” fund to Dolton after the village failed to submit financial reports.
Mendoza said in a statement: “When Illinois municipalities have legitimate problems filing their annual reports with us, due to staffing or other issues, we work seriously with them to bring them into compliance.
‘Dolton is different. The mayor’s office has refused to communicate with us or address the problem.
“If Mayor Henyard refuses to comply with state law, my office will use the tools at our disposal to safeguard the interests of the citizens of Dolton.”
Henyard, Dolton’s self-proclaimed “super mayor,” is said to have racked up exorbitant spending, including $40,000 spent on Amazon in a single day.
Last week, an investigation by former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot discovered a $3.6 million deficit in the city’s budget that arose under Henyard’s tenure.
Just one year after taking office in April 2022, Dolton had a budget surplus of $5.6 million.
Mayor Tiffany Henyard has clung to power despite criticism of her handling of Dolton and alleged wasteful spending.
“The town has not been able to pay all of its monthly expenses from the cash balance on hand,” Lightfoot said at a special meeting Thursday. Chicago Sun Times newspaper information.
These expenses included $7,700 spent at Target, Walgreens, Wayfair and other retailers on September 1, 2023.
Lightfoot did not identify Henyard as the person who conducted the transactions and said her officials rarely provided receipts for purchases.
Other troubling revelations center on police overwork, which saw two officers double their 2024 salaries by collecting six figures in overtime each, Lightfoot said.
Deputy Chief Lewis Lacey was fired from the force last week and now faces nine fraud charges.
The mayor, who earns $300,000 for her public duties, has spent thousands more on first-class travel, a professional hair and makeup team and a security detail.
Prosecutors say Lacey, 61, hid her true income to better position herself in multiple bankruptcy lawsuits.
Earlier this month, Henyard was banned from using Dolton village credit cards after the Illinois village board took action against him.
Trustees said they will only allow the Director of Administrative Services to use the village credit card for “board-approved purchases.”
The mayor, who earns $300,000 for her public duties, has spent thousands more on first-class travel, a professional hair and makeup team and a security detail.