HANKS SHORT $457,000 IN UNBALANCED BUDGET

by Joseph Wiszowaty
SAUK VILLAGE | Finance Director Mohan Roa delivered the bad news Tuesday night following questions from Trustee Derrick Burgess.  The Village is short $457,000 to cover bond payments due and now Mayor David Hanks' administration is calling for borrowing from other funds, funds which are dedicated to other village expenses, in order to make the payments.  

Trustee Derrick Burgess said that this should have been foreseen and he called this out during the budget process in July and action should have been taken then.  Burgess presented the Village Board with a 21 page analysis during the budget hearing which Hanks scheduled a special meeting of the Village Board so he could dissect Burgess' analysis in minutia.  Hanks accused Burgess of offering "zero solutions" in his budget analysis.  "There are five other Trustees and none of them have offered solutions or analysis of their own, yet he (Hanks) didn't call out the rest of his board.  That's politics." Burgess said.  "I'm but one vote and he's got his five votes locked up on the Village Board" Burgess said.  "I offered an analysis of his budget proposal in July, nobody but me asked any questions of any substance during that time" Burgess said.

The Board will now hold a "special meeting" Tuesday, November 4th in order to play the musical shell game of "borrowing" special revenue funds to pay the bond payments due for the Village Hall, 9-1-1 equipment and Fire Equipment purchased. 

Burgess also called to the Board's attention to the fact that the Village will now exceed the budgeted amount in overtime.  Burgess brought this to the boards attention during the Budget hearings in July stating then this was budgeted way too thinly by Hanks.  None the less, the Village Board approved what Hanks called a "balanced budget" Burgess was the only NO vote!

Hanks sarcastically and arrogantly shot back that the Village Board has always had to borrow $500,000 from the water fund in order to pay its bills each year. 

Following the meeting Burgess pointed out that Hanks already had taken $300,000 from the water fund, borrowed some $29,600 from the water and CN noise mitigation fund to cover grass mowing and now is going to borrower $457,000 more.  "That's not $500,000, and we still have about 3 months of bills and payroll" Burgess said following the meeting.  "Just because it was past practice doesn't make it right.  Look at the mess we've been in because of past practice" Burgess said. 

"I want to see a plan from this administration on November 4th with respect to this money" Burgess said.  "They can't say they didn't see this coming.  I did, but I thought it would be in November.  I guess it came a few days early" Burgess said.

Burgess said that there was a $1.6 million deficit in the General Fund going into this fiscal year which began May 1st, and he predicts that will swell to over $2.5 million or more.  Hanks' budget called for no increase in the General Fund deficit, in fact he called for it to be reduced during his review of Burgess budget analysis.

Williams and Hanks Reign of Tyrannical Terror

OPINION EDITORIAL
by Joseph Wiszowaty

A second reign of tyrannical terror has begun in Sauk Village!  You thought Lewis Towers was something you haven't seen squat until you witnessed what is happening in the Village that you're not privileged!  Village Clerk, Debbie Williams is hard at work, well in her opinion she is!  Instead of answering questions about her "personal trip" to Washington D.C., the ethically challenged Williams now wants to limit your free speech!

Williams is proposing that residents and tax payers not be allowed to obtain signatures on petitions in a public building.  No longer will you be able to solicit support to oppose or support a public matter.  I wonder why?  Part of running for any public office is exercising free speech against those who sit in he big boy and girl seats.  Guess what, 2015 is an election year in Sauk Village!  Funny thing is that Debbie Williams now sits in one of those "big girl" seats.  Now she wants everyone else to shut the hell up and not solicit support or even signatures at Village Hall which has been going on since 1957.   Now none of this could be possible without the green light from King David Hanks.  Hanks wouldn't let Williams grow a brain and wouldn't dare make a move or defy King David!

The Bobbleheads (That would be the Fab 5 Trustees) are warming up in the bull pen... heads a bobbin and ready to approve such a move because it protects their turf!  What a bunch of arrogant self righteous people who are running the Village today who would trample on the 1st Amendment Rights of people!  This, if challenged, would fail the test and would be ruled unconstitutional in any Federal Court because you can't tell people you can't ask people a question in a public building.  Never-the-less, these people, who you voted for, are going to pass this nonsense!

People may have been hoodwinked by heavy weights (politically speaking) Debbie Williams and David Hanks thinking that they're doing something good for the Village.  Make no mistake they're doing "good"... for themselves and whatever is politically expedient to dispatch any opposition to this doomed administration.

People of Sauk Village you need to keep your eyes on this administration which is no better than that of Lewis Towers!  Oh yes, remember who came in with Lewis Tower... the common denominator Debbie Williams!

Beware of Politicians Bearing Gifts at Election Time... especially $4.8 million

OPINION EDITORIAL
by Joseph Wiszowaty

SAUK VILLAGE | Governor Pat Quinn came to Sauk Village at election time to announce a $4.8 million grant as part of his multi-billion dollar clean water initiative Saturday afternoon.  Quinn is in for the race of his political life this November and every vote counts which is why some question the timing of this announcement!  Gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner, who just picked up the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune and Crains Chicago Business, has been doing well in polling.  Polls show Rauner with a slight advantage while other show a dead heat. 

No doubt Sauk Village needs the money!  After all, coincidentally, they have a $4.8 million loan which could be paid off with the money saving the Village $287,000 per year in payments over the next 20 years.  Or they could use the funds to repair and update the 50 year old infrastructure buried in the ground.  But the devil will be in the details as they say!  What can the Village actually use this new found money for,  that will be revealed soon enough.

What I’m skeptical about, can this grant vanish if let’s say a new governor gets in office?  Can this grant get cancelled if Quinn gets re-elected and let’s say the state falls short in revenue and all of a sudden the grant goes bye-bye!  Some say no but I say... we'll see. 

Here’s the question virtually everyone I had spoken to Saturday afternoon was asking?  Why didn’t Quinn come bearing gifts during the water crisis in 2012?  Some even go further saying the reason they come bearing gifts is because they feel the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency allowed the residents to drink contaminated water and now is culpable to such an environmental disaster.  My quick answer…. It’s election time and Quinn needs some votes and he is out in Sauk Village and other areas where he never had to campaign before trying to scare up votes.

Watch for those devils in the details!  They will reveal themselves  showing what this grant can and cannot be used!  Stay tuned Sauk Village, there's more to come.

Speaking of election time, couldn’t help but notice that a certain politician has already begun circulating his petitions for Village Trustee at Village Hall no less and the in the sacrosanct Senior Center Saturday afternoon.  No surprise that Gary Holcomb, who serves as Chairman of the Housing Commission had his nomination petitions out on display during the spaghetti dinner Saturday afternoon.  This is the same Holcomb who published a woman's state I.D. and her son's social security card on a Village social media page.  Let's not forget of course Holcomb is the center of the Watergate scandal where funds have been moved around to pay for lawn mowing Gary Holcomb and his commissioners hired but had no money to pay them!  Now Holcomb wants to be your Trustee.... is this the kind of Trustee you can "trust"?

 

Now another candidate who was getting signatures Tuesday night outside in a corridor at Village Hall was scolded by Village Clerk Debbie Williams for circulating petitions.  I guess we see what is backing who!  Shame on you Gary for exploiting an event for your own aggrandizement to have your petitions signed, very tacky! 

 

Don't worry Sauk Village I'll be looking for all those rascally details and keeping an eye on these politicians here in Sauk Village too!