Mahomet Township Road District – ISP Report Released – Do Laws Matter Anymore In Illinois?

If anybody is still reading this old article check out HB 5050 and contact your state representative ASAP to vote YES. Not that I want to turn control over to a higher (county) authority but township road districts are not being overseen as they should and I don’t see any other solution.

The amount of money involved in the Tolono Parks and Rec matter is “chump change” compared to concerns of the Mahomet Township Road District. Payroll reported by “Open the Books Illinois” indicates that Harper earned approximately $124,000 from ’19 through ’22. Harper was on the payroll for the entire year of ’23, Based upon Doenitz statements, Harper likely earned an add’l $37K in ’23 (40 hrs x 52 wks x $18). Total earnings of $161K. The twp contributes 10% of employee wages to IMRF. The amount of work comp premiums on wages is unknown. If calculations are accurate, a minimum of $178K has been paid from taxpayer dollars for Harper working for Doenitz full time. At one time, Harper’s Facebook Profile stated he began working for Doenitz farms in 2019 which aligns with payroll records of the rd distr. Unfortunately, Harper is not the only rd distr employee who worked full time for Doenitz Farms. Doenitz son earned approx $80K from ’20 to ’22 from the rd distr while working full time for Doenitz Farms. ISP did not investigate this concern in depth. Doenitz’ wife serves as the Rd Comm administrative assistant, working from home, earning approximately $35K a year plus benefits.

FOIA records indicate that a minimum of $120K of township assets were delivered to and co-mingled with Mr. & Mrs. Doenitz personal culvert business. The rd distr maintains no inventory, accounting, or installation records relative to the use of metal culverts purchased. The rd distr purchased approximately $240K of culverts over the past several years. Where were all those culverts installed? The block that the rd distr paid for is not being used by Blue Ridge Twp. Approximately 50 blocks line the perimeter of a tractor pulling track in Mansfield, IL. The organizers of the event, Doenitz and Harper. According to FOIA records, taxpayers spent approximately $12K for the laptop that Doenitz son carries around in his service truck. Once again, a personal benefit for Doenitz, his son, and their farm operation.

Add it all up and you are looking at almost $400K. Why didn’t ISP and AG follow the money trail at the Mahomet Township Rd Distr? Everything leads to the personal benefit of one person and family. Ridiculous!

Saw this in todays local paper. Illinois Attorney General finds reasons to charge Director of Tolono Park District after a concerned citizen decided to FOIA for financial information and reported findings to authorities.
How is this any different from what Mahomet Township taxpayers did in regards to what they witness the Road Commissioner doing, and attorney general finds no reasons to file charges? Just doesn’t seem right. Never saw one article about Mahomet Township Road District in local paper. Maybe if there had been some articles in local paper, more taxpayers would have been concerned, raised their voices and asked questions.

file:///D:/Downloads/ChampaignNewsGazette_20240220_A01_4.pdf

When you get right down to it, I am actually in complete agreement with Bob Anderson who comments often regarding the fact that township government (including township road districts) has lost its way from the original intent and needs to be eliminated.  While I do believe we were never meant to be governed by a “central” government, I also realize we are no longer able to ride herd on these out of control townships and they no longer serve us as the government closest to the people. It is a fact that there is a lot of overlap between townships and other taxing entities – another reason for townships to go the way of the dodo.  The problem with getting this done is the huge industry sucking off of the township tit.  T.O.I. (Township Officials of Illinois and there is nothing official about them – they are a lobbyist group), accountants, lawyers, auditors to name just a few, will fight tooth and nail to preserve this candy jar of opportunity.

Thanks Brian for replying to NMWTLS, I was just about to do that myself. All of his comments were spot on. Current and previous Supervisors and Trustees were made aware of taxpayer concerns regarding the road commissioner and road district. They all basically didn’t want to hear about it or do anything (like the things NMWTLS mentioned) about it, even after they were presented proof and documentation (from their own records via FOIA requests). Since it seems road commissioners are an absolute authority, some of them can convince the supervisors and trustees they have no say in what goes on in the road district. What would happen if the supervisor and trustees decided to ask questions, and not initial and sign off on time cards and bills because of taxpayer concerns? It creates a conflict between the two township entities, right? Then attorneys for both entities get involved, but they are already on the payroll, right? Then maybe things would change, get cleaned up. It would probably get ugly and be difficult, but it can be done. Just look at what Wapella Township did a couple of years ago when the road commissioner there was buying personal items with road district credit card and then altering the receipts. Road commissioner was forced to resign, and I believe he was finally charged with some crimes, but don’t know how far that has gone. Concerns were discussed with quite a few taxpayers in Mahomet township. It seems quite a few said they understood what was going on but didn’t want to get involved. Those that did get involved and spoke out, as Brian said, have suffered the consequences. Just pay your damn taxes, shut up, and mind your own business! Very disheartening!

If it actually is “hands off”, that policy should cease once they break the law. There are many ways to hold the Township Highway Commissioners accountable – board scrutiny of receipts, maintenance logs, fuel and mileage logs, time card logs for employees, insistence on statutory compliance, security cameras, drive by or stop in and check things out once in a while for example. The taxpayers deserve at least that oversight and boards who whine that they can’t do anything about highway commissioners and the road district are either taking the easy way out or are complicit in some way in the bad behavior. If there is no oversight, why does the township board vote on the budget, approve payment of bills, supply the road district clerk (by statute the township clerk) and also the road district treasurer (by statute the township supervisor)? Be assured that there are people who know what is going on in these corrupt districts.

Road Commissioners are one of the most powerful elected officials in Illinois. They account to no one. Once their budget is approved, it’s hands off. Challenge them and you are met with threats of, or actual legal action.
Challenge a township board, file FOIA requests, and speak out, you are sued by township officials on a personal basis for harassment, abuse of process, defamation, false light, and civil conspiracy,
This is not a “party” specific problem. Mahomet Township is GOP ruled.

First of all, thank you John and Kirk for taking an interest in this issue. I know you have FOIA’d for information from the Mahomet Township and the Road District, attended meetings at Mahomet Township, and spoken to several of the concerned taxpayers. Why would the attorney general office choose to ignore this!? This is just the interview with Road Commissioner Doenitz, his side of the story on just a few of the taxpayer concerns. The ISP surely interviewed others, correct? Where are the other interviews to get the other side of the story, that caused some taxpayers to finally speak up (and enduring the ramifications of speaking up and out) about what has been going on at the road district for many years? There is no oversight or authority over the road commissioners it seems. Therefore some of them seem to feel like they can do whatever they want with no ramifications. Where are the morals or ethics of elected officials, regardless of party affiliation. Both parties in this state have been guilty of corruption. How can it be legal and acceptable for the road commissioner, or any elected official, to use full time government employees that are supposed to be on the job, being paid with taxpayer funds, work instead for their personal business? Even if you claim you are personally paying them an hourly wage? It’s not possible to work both places at the same time, right? This is such a shame and disheartening. I know there are bigger fish to fry by the attorney general, but I feel this is just as important as important as investigating a governor or speaker. I could go on, but I won’t. My thanks and kudos to those taxpayers who have stuck their necks out, put their reputations on the line, and endured the blowback that comes from speaking up, out and challenging things in our government.

Said it before, saying it again. Illinois townships are a Political-Tap-Pit of Cronyism, Nepotism, Patronage and Waste. Republicans must not be overlooked when looking at the township taxpayer rip-off and actions.

This goes on in all of Illinois among all parties. Sangamon County, GOP Bigwig Frank Vala serving on both the Woodside Township Board and the Airport Authority.

https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2018/03/frank-vala-unqualified-for-office-of-springfield-airport-authority-commissioner/

Why is Harper’s pay per hour for the township redacted? Isn’t that public information?

Where is the Champaign County States Attorney on this?

Liberals are ideologically driven and have no love or respect for the law. They are unconcerned with whether their desires for government action are legal. Their basis for what is right or wrong is how strongly they ‘feel’ about it. If they think something ought to be this way or that, then they don’t care what the Constitution says or the reasons it was written that way.

Sounds familiar. Shelby county highway engineer ran a private business and used county employees. Attorney General refuses to prosecute. He refuses to prosecute payroll fraud I. Shelby county. He is a political hack but when democrats control that is what you get. Way too many government employees at every level benefit from the corruption and they vote their friends in.
Until the benefit stops and the votes won’t stop.

This state is lost. It is time to admit defeat at the hands of the Democrats. As long as Cook County produces Democratic vote totals, whoever gets elected or serves in the rest of the state is immaterial. Some political hack will cover up for another political hack to keep the graft going.