Thornton Township trustees agreed to push back a vote on their 2025 budget proposal during a sparsely attended board meeting Tuesday night in South Holland.

Supervisor Tiffany Henyard and Trustee Darlene Gray Everett were absent from the meeting that included on the agenda adopting the 2025 budgets for the general fund and general appropriation funds, paying township bills and approving upcoming events totaling almost $40,000.

From her Thornton Township office, Henyard recorded and posted a live video at around the time of the meeting where she said she chose not to attend due to security concerns. Tuesday marked the first regularly scheduled meeting since a brawl broke out Jan. 28 involving Henyard, her boyfriend, community activists and others.

“I was not going to be in jeopardy of being attacked or anything of that nature,” Henyard said in the video. She claimed trustees changed the layout of the board meeting at the last minute, “which was very concerning and alarming.”

To ensure safety, the 10 or so people who came to the Township Hall were seated downstairs, with the board and members of the media in the upstairs meeting room. However, those who wished to speak were brought up to face the board during public comment.

Trustees Christopher Gonzalez, Carmen Carlisle and Stephanie Wiedeman voted together on all items, but decided to table their budget proposals for a second time, saying they needed to get more answers about Thornton Township finances.“I’m hoping we could do something pretty soon, maybe, at the earliest, at the next meeting,” said Gonzalez, who was appointed pro tem supervisor in Henyard’s absence. “But there’s still some fluid things that we’re trying to figure out, get some more information.”

Wiedeman said at the last meeting that the trustees worked with Finance Director Robert Hunt to create a balanced budget, which Henyard’s proposal was not.

The proposals for general fund, general assistance fund and road and bridge fund are available at thorntontownship.com. The 2025 general fund proposal budgets $13.3 million in spending, with $5.8 million going toward administration, $1.8 million to the senior services department and $1.7 million for the community outreach and engagement department.

The 2024 general fund budget showed the township received $16 million in revenue and spent about $15 million over the fiscal year.

The board also voted Tuesday to table approval of events, including a “country and western shindig” and a Valentine’s Day dance planned for this week, as well as explicitly denying funding for a proposed Valentine’s luncheon for seniors and township employees totaling $5,000.

Wiedeman said she chose not to vote on the events in part due to the board not approving the year’s budget.

“I just would feel more comfortable if there was some more discussion around the events and the budgeting,” Wiedeman said. “I’m still trying to get a grasp on what’s happening financially.”

During public comment at the end of the meeting, Jennifer Robertz called out Henyard for contributing to an unsafe atmosphere at the township by jumping into the brawl that broke out after community activist Jedidiah Brown called Henyard an expletive during public comment. She said as the township’s leader, she is setting a poor example for residents and those who might look to her for guidance.

“We were here to witness the mayhem in real time,” Robertz said. “While I understand that words may hurt, violence is never the answer. Instead of learning from her mistakes and setting the example that young Black and brown people really need, she would rather show them that if they want something so badly they should do what she does, which is fight, steal and lie.”

Henyard posted a video and commentary about Brown on Facebook on Wednesday, calling him a “sick individual” who trustees paid to attack her.

She said in that video she would post a live video Thursday about corruption in the village of Dolton, where she is mayor.

“Trustees are corrupt and they are bringing individuals into our town to keep up chaos and to keep us in a negative light,” Henyard said in Wednesday’s post. “Dolton, wake up. Mental illness is real and dangerous.”

Dolton trustees did not immediately respond Wednesday seeking reaction. Henyard’s attorney, Max Solomon, said Wednesday she would not respond to questions, but planned to share her views on her social media post.

ostevens@chicagotribune.com