BURGESS STILL WANTS ANSWERS ON $2 MILLION TAKEN FROM WATER FUND

Trustee Derrick Burgess

SAUK VILLAGE |  Village Trustee Derrick Burgess, who is a candidate for Mayor in April, again called on his fellow Trustees to be identified to see who authorized taking money from the water fund.  It appears that the amount that Mayor David Hanks and Trustees he controls have authorized taking from the water fund has grown to well over $2 million based on Freedom of Information Act requests.  Hanks refused to answer the question publicly despite Burgess pressing the matter public again.  Hanks said that the information was supposedly emailed to him, however, Burgess wanted the names of the individuals publicly stated which Hanks refused.  Both Burgess and Trustee Kelvin Jones said they never received such an email from Hanks.   

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.