December 20th 2024.
Two members of the board of trustees for Thornton Township decided to hold a special meeting in Dolton on Friday afternoon in order to address some pressing financial matters. This was after two months of canceled meetings, leaving important issues unresolved. Unfortunately, due to a divided board, not all matters were able to be resolved.
Prior to the meeting, Supervisor Tiffany Henyard took to social media to inform residents that the township had been forced to "suspend operations" due to the absence of Trustees Chris Gonzalez and Carmen Carlisle at meetings since October 30th. This absence also resulted in the township being without insurance. While Henyard did not specify which services were affected and for how long, it was announced that the Township Hall in South Holland was closed to both staff and residents, with the special meeting being held at Lester Long Fieldhouse.
Gonzalez and Carlisle had been refusing to attend meetings since the resignation of former Trustee Gerald Jones. They claimed that Henyard was withholding vital information and attempting to appoint an interim trustee who would vote in line with her agenda. In an attempt to move things forward, they called for the special meeting in order to approve bills and tax levies for the upcoming year. However, their efforts were met with resistance from Henyard and Trustee Darlene Gray Everett, resulting in a stalemate.
Gonzalez expressed frustration with what he perceived as Henyard's attempts to deflect responsibility onto him and Carlisle. He accused her of playing "smoke and mirrors" and shifting blame onto them. Henyard, on the other hand, criticized Gonzalez and Carlisle for attempting to amend the bill list that her office had put forth for payment. They argued that they lacked sufficient information about the spending. In the end, neither side could come to an agreement and no bills were paid.
Henyard and Gray Everett also voted against a tax levy ordinance, which according to a township attorney, needed to be approved by December 31st in order for the township to levy general fund taxes for 2025. Henyard argued that the tax levy could not be passed without a budget in place, something that the board had been unable to approve. She stated that she would not be a part of passing a tax levy in the wrong way.
Despite the roadblocks faced during the meeting, the board was able to pass a levy for the road and bridge fund. It was a frustrating and tense meeting, with both sides unable to come to a compromise. The township is still facing financial challenges and it remains to be seen how they will be resolved in the future.
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