by Joseph Wiszowaty
SAUK VILLAGE | Well October 31st came and went without much fanfare and a promise from the Finance Director Mohan Rao that the Village's 2010-11 Audit Report would be completed.
The Village Board, and residents, were promised that the Audit would be complete by this past Thursday, yet nothing has been presented. This Tuesday, on the Agenda we see that Mr. Mohan Rao will give "an update" on the Audit.
The Village has not completed and is delinquent in filing the 2010-2011; 2011-2012 and the truncated 2012-2013 fiscal years. The village is receiving fines from the Illinois Comptrollers office for not having filed their financial reports. (**CLICK HERE*** to view FOIA from the Comptroller's office) Thus far, the fines are up to about $16,000 and increase each day by about $100.00.
The Village is trying to appeal the fine, however, has not filed reports with the Comptroller and is unlikely to receive any consideration until the reports are filed.
What is also costing taxpayers money is the fact that the Village has no bond rating. Standard and Poors, who provides municipal bond ratings based on financial soundness in their financial reports, suspended the Village's Bond rating indefinitely in 2011. The Village has been trying to obtain a low-interest loan since before the April election from the State of Illinois, however, has run into some snags because it cannot provide the State with financial data. Hanks hired a $36,000 per year lobbyist to help the village "get money", maybe he can find out why the Village hasn't gotten the loan yet? Or maybe you already know and just don't want the public to know! Oh I see another FOIA request in your future!
The Village changed audit firms for the 2010-11 audit because McGladry and Pullen had taken over a year to complete the 2009-10 audit. The new audit firm, is taking a similar amount of time in completing their report and no explanation has been given by the administration.
With nearly 1 year under this administration, there has yet to be an audit report completed. The same argument was hurled at the previous administration of Lewis Towers who took three years to complete an audit with massive turnover in the Village's administration during his brief tenure. There has been no turnover in the last year, and the results have been the same thus far, which should be unacceptable by any taxpayer!
No questions from the "Bobble head Board of Trustees" who simply go along with the program! There is less discussion during Village Board meetings and more being done in the back room which leaves the public not in the know and ignorant as to what is coming down the pike.
This is the worst Village Board I have ever seen in the history of Sauk Village! At least during the "reign of terror" of Lewis Towers the discussion were PUBLIC and the good bad and ugly were discussed publicly. Now I'm certainly not suggesting that was professional, but it was David Hanks who led the charge and who was called Lewis Towers greatest antagonist! Where is that same level of desire for PUBLIC DISCUSSION!
So a group of some 14 people are running Sauk Village today leaving out the other 10,500 people and the "Bobble head Board" says "AMEN"! Taxpayers should be furious, this is not acceptable from an Administration who promised that the job would get done! Well we're still waiting, this is making the Village look bad, one should not accept mediocrity!
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| David "Forward Motions" Hanks |
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