Thornton Township trustees approved a tentative budget for 2025-26 during their second meeting since Tiffany Henyard left office, acknowledging kinks they’re still working out while remaining a united front.

New Thornton Township Supervisor Napoleon Harris said a forensic audit approved under Henyard’s administration was never initiated and said he is considering “rebuilding and revisiting” the website to better communicate services to residents.

The tentative budgets for the township’s general fund, general assistance fund and road and bridge fund demonstrate the new board’s commitment to fiscal responsibility, Harris said.

Final approval will come after a required public hearing on July 22. The budget, which was not posted to the website as of Wednesday afternoon, must be posted 30 days before the board approves it.

The proposed general fund budget is $13.3 million, about a $3 million increase from the previous year, Harris said. He said higher real estate collections and senior and youth service levies are responsible for the budget growth.

Expenses total $13.9 million, a $2.9 million increase from last year, to fully repay an outstanding loan of more than $342,000 Harris said. The township is also looking to expand services and introduce initiatives.

“The general fund budget demonstrates the Thornton Township continued commitment to financial stewardship, debt elimination and enhanced community investment,” Harris said. “By retiring this outstanding loan and preserving strong reserves, the township improved its long fiscal health while continuing to deliver high impact programs and services across its residents.”

For the general assistance fund, Harris projected a $9.4 million budget, representing a decrease of $2.8 million from last year. Harris said a reduction in the general assistance tax levy is responsible. Expenses land at about $9.3 million, a $2 million increase from the previous year to expand community programs.

Harris said also built in is a “tax refund program” intended to return money to qualifying residents. He did not expand on what that program would look like or who would qualify.

“Despite a reduction in revenue, the township will continue to deliver critical services throughout the township and launch impactful tax refund programs, all while maintaining healthy fund balances and prioritizing residents’ needs,” Harris said.

The road and bridge fund budget is projected at $1.5 million, $559,000 higher than the previous year, Harris said, due to a tax levy increase and expected an expected $500,000 grant from Cook County. The township expects a $37,000 increase in expenses for road repairs and facility cleanups.

Trustee Christopher Gonzalez said Wednesday he is optimistic about the tentative budget, though he believes the township will tweak it before final approvals.

“I’ve obviously went through it, but I’m going to really go over it line by line,” Gonzalez said. “Sometimes there’s ideas that we’d like to see done, so we’ll see if there’s a spot for it.”

Gonzalez led budget discussions at the beginning of the year, but said the board under Henyard chose to hold off until Harris and other new trustees entered office last month. At the time, Gonzalez was an outspoken opponent of Henyard, who he said failed to communicate or provide necessary information about township initiatives.

“We had kind of looked at doing something with the budget sooner rather than later, but … we were still not really getting as much information as we needed,” Gonzalez said. “It just dragged on.”

Gonzalez said he believes the current administration better communicates and leaves room for other trustees to raise questions ahead of board meetings, allowing for unanimous approvals of items like the tentative budgets.

All three budget proposals, along with other agenda items including bill payments and events through August, were approved 5-0. However, Gonzalez said the board is still working to get to know each other and learn protocols before taking on major projects.

“It’s our second meeting, everybody expects everything to be done in one meeting,” Gonzalez said. “We have to do things the correct way, the legal way, and things like that. But mostly it’s just about moving forward.”

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