DOLTON, Ill. (CBS) — The village of Dolton is more than $3.5 million in debt, an investigation into Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard Misuse of village funds found.
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is leading the investigation into Henyard. Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, agreed in April to investigate allegations of misuse of public funds – which Henyard has repeatedly denied.
A community gathered for a special meeting to hear firsthand what Lightfoot had uncovered. The crowd gasped when the revelations were announced — and many were angry and even more wondering where their tax dollars were going.
“We have worked very, very diligently and very hard – under difficult circumstances – to get as much information as possible to share with you,” Lightfoot told the crowd.
A limited review of the books showed that the Dolton Village General Fund had a negative balance of $3.65 million as of May 31, 2024. People shook their heads in disbelief when Lightfoot – the special investigator appointed by the town council – showed from the records she found that there are simply no checks and balances.
“When you hear this is fake news, it’s not. It’s real,” Lightfoot told the crowd. “This is real.”
According to the report, credit card spending is getting out of control.
“Receipts for credit card purchases are rarely issued,” Lightfoot said.
When Lightfoot looked into the spending more closely, she found that overtime – particularly for two specific officials – continued to rise year after year.
The two officers worked overtime, which almost doubled their salaries.
One officer earned $108,000 in overtime in fiscal year 2023 alone and $114,000 in fiscal year 2024 – compared to a regular salary of $72,000 in fiscal year 2023 and $87,000 in fiscal year 2024. The other officer earned $87,000 in overtime in fiscal year 2023 and $102,000 in fiscal year 2024 – compared to a regular salary of $55,000 in fiscal year 2023 and $73,000 in fiscal year 2024.
“I’ve been here so long,” said Dolton resident Cheryl Hill. “I’ve never seen police officers get paid this much – under any circumstances.”
Dolton Deputy Police Chief Lewis Lacey, who was fired this week, also made a fortune from overtime. He received $39,000 in overtime pay in fiscal year 2022, $67,000 in fiscal year 2023, $96,000 in fiscal year 2024 and $12,000 since the start of the new fiscal year on May 1. This is in addition to his salary.
“We’ve been trying to get these records for the last two years,” said Dolton resident Gerald Williams. “Now we have an idea – well, we have a big idea.”
In her investigation, Lightfoot also uncovered spending that simply did not match the municipality’s finances. The report shows that $40,000 in unaccounted money was spent on Amazon purchases in a single day.
“For what? That’s ridiculous,” Williams said. “What did they get from Amazon for $40,000?”
The residents left the house feeling despair and uneasy.
“I’ve been watching the whole time and wondering when the tsunami is finally going to hit us and knock people off their feet,” Hill said. “I just saw that.”
Lightfoot stressed that this is a preliminary investigation and she still wants to be informed about specific purchases, such as the $40,000 purchase on Amazon in one day.
Henyard has not supported Lightfoot’s investigation. In May, Henyard vetoed the inquiry, saying, “How dare you come into somebody’s town and investigate? You’re not paid to do that.” But the town council voted to override the video.
In the meantime The FBI is conducting an investigation at the Dolton Village Hall, although it was not specified who is being investigated. Henyard must cooperate if the FBI asks questions about the village’s finances.
Dolton’s financial situation
Dolton’s dire financial situation was addressed at another heated village council meeting on Monday evening.
Officials said they had to resort to tax increment financing to pay public employees. They also approved the layoff of eight village employees, citing financial problems.
“It’s unfortunate, but we have to make these decisions so we can pay the salaries,” said Trustee Brittney Norwood.
The board also placed a credit card spending freeze, meaning only the director or administrative services can use the village credit card for approved expenses, and only $5,000 can be spent at a time.
The trustees also discussed putting a village-owned property on the market for a police station in Dolton, but the village does not have the money for it. The board did not vote on a possible sale of the property.
Mugo Odigwe
