HANKS NOT TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT VILLAGE MONEY

SAUK VILLAGE |  Bills keep piling up at Village Hall these days.  The Village currently has outstanding bills totaling $831,315.79 according to a Freedom of Information Act request we filed and received.  $381,000 is more than 120 days past due according to the Village’s Accounts Payable Aging Report dated March 8^th.

 

Mayor David Hanks has been tapping the Village’s Water and Noise Mitigation Funds to pay its employees and other expenses, even though he claims there is a “balanced budget”.  Hanks did not budget any money to be borrowed from the Water or other funds.   According to our Freedom of Information Act request, as of November 20, 2015, $1,266,175 had been withdrawn and as of March 8^th,  the amount owed was still at $1,247,367.  Hanks recently paid back a paltry $350,000 to the water fund. 

 

In 2015, Village Trustee Derrick Burgess called Hanks’ proposed budget “unbalanced and irresponsible”.  “The constant need for inter fund borrowing clearly shows that this budget was not balanced.  When we are forced to repeatedly borrow money to pay bills because of Hanks' over estimating revenues and under projecting expenses, that is not balanced”, Burgess said.  Burgess criticized Hanks budget last year for not taking into consideration the accounts payable aging report.  “How can you call this balanced when you aren’t budgeting your bills?” Burgess said.  Burgess voted no for the 2014-15 Budget and for 2015-16 Budget along with Trustees Cecial Tates and Kelvin Jones.  Trustees allied with Hanks, Rosie Williams, Lynda Washington and Ed Myers helped him to pass the unbalanced budget since he's been in office as mayor.  Hanks had to cast the tie-breaking vote to approve the unbalanced budget in May, 2015.

 

“This is irresponsible.  He (Hanks) said that we historically have had to borrow $500,000 from the water fund to pay payroll.  $1.2 million is not $500,000, let’s get that straight.  This administration is not being open, honest, or transparent with the  residents” Trustee Cecial Tates said following a recent Village Board meeting. 

 

All information is taken from the Village's Audit reports from 2009 to 2015

The Village’s recent audit report shows the Village owes virtually $1.1 million in outstanding bills from 2014 to 2015.  Hanks erroneously and proudly stated at a recent board meeting that the Village’s deficit had been reduced by $3.2 million; however, the audit reveals that the Village still has enormous deficits in the various funds which have not been reduced. 

 

The Village’s audit report also reveals that the accounts payable aging report has skyrocked under David Hanks from 2012 to 2015.  When he took over as acting-Mayor in November, 2012 the Village owed $748,536 in outstanding bills.  This amount increased slightly to $800,715 by April 30, 2013 and ballooned to $1.1 million by April 30, 2014 and stayed the same as of the most recent audit at $1.1 million. 

 

Hanks has said on more than one occasion since 2013 that he has reduced the outstanding accounts payable aging report from when he took over as Mayor in 2012.  However, village audit reports clearly indicate otherwise. 

 

“This is not being honest with the people’s money” Tates said.  "Doing what is right with the taxpayers money should not involve politics, just common sense which is apparently not too common these days" Tates said.