Comptroller Mendoza suspends offset payments to the Village of Dolton for failing to file documents –

Springfield, Ill. (ECWd) –

Press Release:

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.