Trustee Derrick Burgess |
Burgess said that anytime money is borrowed by the Corporate Authorities, a public vote is required and that the administration is not following the law.
Trustees Rosie Biag, Lynda House, both mayoral candidates in the upcoming election and Trustee Ed Myers, who is running for re-election sat again silent with heads down as Burgess pressed the issue demanding an answer. "Who gave their consent to do this" Burgess asked multiple times. Still Hanks wanted to move on with the meeting as his allied Trustees played mute and dumb.
Hanks has called his budgets "balanced", however, has routinely raided the village's water fund with the support of Trustees Biag, House and Myers. Water funds are intended to fund the water department operations, however, the water funds have been depleted to a dangerously low level according to Freedom of Information Act requests. Trustees Burgess, Cecial Tates and Kelvin Jones each voted "NO" to the Village's Budget in 2015 and in 2016 declaring them "unbalanced and irresponsible".
The prior Village Board, which Hanks was a Trustee at the time, took action in November of 2010, and passed an ordinance to block the mayor at the time from arbitrarily taking money. The ordinance, at that time required the Village's General Fund to repay the money borrowed from the Water Fund. Rosie Biag said at that time "that the Board is informed when funds are borrowed in order to keep a record of what amounts need to be paid back" according to the official village record.
Hanks himself stated in November, 2010 “that it should be made clear that these funds were borrowed temporarily to meet payroll and it is the intent of the Board to pay those funds back” according to the official record.
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