HANKS HALTS PENSION PAYMENTS

Mayor David Hanks

By Joseph Wiszowaty

SAUK VILLAGE |  David Hanks made good on his threat to stop payment to the Police Pension Fund.  Hanks notified the public at Tuesday’s meeting that he has notified, through the Village’s attorney, Pension Board Attorney Cary Collins that the Village will not make any payments, including the $1.7 million it has owed the pension fund over the last four years, until the Pension Board gets their audits completed.

 

Hanks borrowed a move out of former Mayor Lewis Towers' play book.  “I have also notified Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart that they (the Pension Board) have not completed their audits” Hanks said.  Hanks said that the pension board has had the same amount of time as the Village to get their audits complete but has “refused to do so”.  The Village still has not completed their audit reports and is currently delinquent for one year still and is due for the 2013-14 fiscal year now as well.  The state of Illinois did not withhold payments to the village for not completing their audits for 4 years.

 

In the past, the Village’s auditors would notify the pension board that they were completing the village’s audit and would also audit the pension fund.  That practice stopped under Lewis Towers and apparently remains the practice under Hanks’ administration as well according to Collins.

 

It is uncertain if the Police Pension Fund Board will sue the Village over the matter since the last 4 years the Village has balanced the budget with the money intended for police pension contributions.  Hanks cited no law which would allow him arbitrarily to withhold funding to the Police Pension fund, and it is also uncertain if Hanks will withhold the amount deducted from police officers pay from being put into the pension fund.