Meeting canceled due to “lack of quorum,” rescheduled to Friday
SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. (May 29, 2024) – Over 50 residents came to Thornton Township headquarters Tuesday night to comment on, ask questions about, and witness the approval of the next Thornton Township budget. But after 53 minutes of waiting for the meeting to start, Supervisor Tiffany Henyard emerged and canceled the meeting due to “lack of quorum.”
Quorum questions
According to the Illinois Open Meetings Act, for a five-member board like Thornton Township’s, a quorum of three members needs to be present to hold a meeting and vote on business. It’s unclear why it took 53 minutes to determine that a quorum wasn’t present. Additionally, a roll call was never conducted to confirm the lack of a quorum.
Trustee Chris Gonzalez was present, as was Supervisor Henyard. Absent were trustees Jerry Jones, Darlene Gray-Everett, and Carmen Carlisle. The meeting was held in the basement of township headquarters.
Meeting canceled, rescheduled for Friday
At 6:53 p.m., Henyard walked to the front of the room, spoke briefly to township clerk Loretta Wells, and then said, “Good evening everybody. Thanks you guys for coming out this evening. I am Supervisor Tiffany A. Henyard, the people’s supervisor. I want to thank you for coming out to hear from the department heads, the finance department, as it relates to the budget. But unfortunately we will have to cancel, postpone our meeting until Friday at 1 p.m. due to the fact of lack of quorum.”
Henyard’s announcement was met with some groans from the crowd, and some vocal residents began calling Henyard derogatory names after she finished speaking.
Scheduled first for the evening was a budget hearing on the general fund and general assistance fund, which was to take place at 6 p.m., according to the meeting’s agenda. Next was a budget hearing for the road and bridge fund, which was scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Included in that hearing’s agenda was the final approval of the road and bridge fund. Finally, the regular board meeting was scheduled for 6:10 p.m., and included on the agenda were resolutions to adopt new budgets for the general fund and general assistance funds.
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Each of the meeting agendas included time for public comment, as well as Supervisor statements.
These agendas, as well as copies of the proposed budget, were printed out and made available to attendees.
Friday, the legal deadline
According to Illinois Municipal Budget Law, a public body like Thornton Township “shall, within or before the first quarter of each fiscal year, adopt a combined annual budget and appropriation ordinance.”
The proposed budgets seem to indicate that Thornton Township’s fiscal year started on March 1, making Friday, May 31 the last day that a budget can legally be approved.
According to Henyard, Friday’s meeting will take place at 1 p.m.
Review the budget
The proposed 2025 budget is a 62-page PDF, available for viewing or download by clicking on the link below:
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She got to go. Big thief, when will we get what we need,?Will this cause tax payers to have to suffer with increased taxes