Dolton trustees meet without Mayor Henyard, address layoffs and budget issues
DOLTON, Ill. - Trustees met Thursday night in Dolton to discuss their financial future, but Mayor Tiffany Henyard did not attend, and the meeting proceeded without her.
The crowd cheered when Trustee Stanley Brown arrived at the Dolton Fieldhouse. Brown, who has previously supported Henyard, was the fifth trustee to join the meeting.
"I had residents that said come to this meeting, some said don’t come to this meeting, I’m here for all the residents," said Brown.
The rescheduled meeting of the Dolton Board of Trustees came a little over a week after Henyard attempted to hold her own meeting, which lacked a quorum.
During that meeting, she announced a new village attorney and administrator. Trustee Jason House said that meeting was unofficial and the appointments were not approved.
The trustees discussed the budget and potential layoffs.
"This may include another round of layoffs. If that happens, we will do them all at one time," House said.
House also noted that the village must seek a new bank after Henyard allegedly refused to sign numerous checks totaling millions of dollars.
House stepped in to sign them, but said Henyard disapproved.
"The mayor’s office was disappointed in that they contacted our bank claiming false, false signatures on the bank account so the bank essentially said we are not playing this game we are tired of it and gave us a 60 day notice," House said.
The board also approved a temporary moratorium on travel reimbursements for elected officials and employees, following accusations against Henyard of misusing village funds.
On Friday, a spokesperson for Mayor Henyard released the following statement on her behalf:
"This is not a legitimate meeting. It is an unauthorized effort by 4 trustees to circumvent the law and illegally usurp the powers of mayor. We will not attend such an illegal and unsanctioned meeting. The mayor will hold a press conference in the coming days at which we will directly address the illegal acts of these trustees and the consequences that will follow."