Thornton Township Special Meeting - 8/15/24

This was a long meeting, with a lot of motions, seconds, discussions, and votes. The full story appears on our website: https://thelansingjournal.com/2024/08...

Rather than simply stream the meeting live, The Lansing Journal has taken the time to identify the various actions and participants. In doing so, we noticed that one of the items was never actually voted on.

At about the 54:00 mark, Trustee Carmen Carlisle makes a motion to approve an ordinance to "regulate retail/credit card/net 30 policy." Trustee Chris Gonzalez seconds the motion. A long discussion follows that includes staff members and department heads. Then Supervisor Tiffany Henyard makes a motion to table the motion, which Trustee Jerry Jones seconds. The Board votes on that motion to table the motion. The result is a tie, so the motion to table fails. But neither the Clerk nor the Attorney followed up on the original motion to approve the ordinance. So the status of that motion is unclear.

That kind of detail doesn't come through when livestreaming proceedings like this. Lansing Journal reporter Melanie Jongsma didn't notice it at the time either. Only in poring over the footage to add the notations did she realize what had happened.

We appreciate the YouTubers and broadcast media who are able to share the news quickly and widely. And we hope our viewers also appreciate the many hours we spend trying to put our footage in a format that will be a useful documenting of confusing events.

If the work we do is helpful to you, we appreciate your acknowledgement and support. If you know how to use the Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks features in YouTube, please do. Or if you are more comfortable with old-fashioned online giving, visit the secure Support page on our website to make a gift via credit card: https://thelansingjournal.com/support

Thank you for helping to make local news possible.

Here are the key moments in the meeting:
0:00 - Introduction
2:00 - Call to order
2:34 - Pledge of Allegiance
3:00 - Request for media to visit Big Bingo and see "the real voters"
3:30 - Motion to approve certain General Assistance bills
6:48 - Motion to pay certain General Fund bills
18:55 - Trustee Darlene Gray Everett arrives
20:28 - Trustee Carmen Carlisle explains why she stopped trusting the process
25:50 - Carlisle: "The first time I ever really questioned supporting you is when you went on this national platform and you said you didn't know anything about a foundation"
26:16 - Trustee Darlene Gray Everett leaves
28:08 - Attorney Eric Stach speaks
30:34 - Tiffany tries to skip agenda item 3: "Motion to Direct the Finance Director and Finance Department to provide backup invoices for items on the warrant list, for both General Fund and General Assistance, that have not been approved, items on the upcoming August 20, 2024 warrant lists (General Fund and General Assistance) and to provide said information no later than August 19, 2024 at 2:00 p.m."
31:38 - Trustee Chris Gonzalez questions Keith Price's role in the administration
32:50 - Motion to approve an ordinance establishing travel guidelines
35:25 - Supervisor Henyard suggests the ordinance should be amended
37:00 - Motion to approve an ordinance repealing the salary ordinance
45:55 - Motion to approve an ordinance to establish a policy for equitable rotation of event locations for Thornton Township
50:04 - Motion to approve an ordinance to regulate event expenditures and budget approvals
53:30 - Trustee Jerry Jones motions to table that motion
53:55 - Motion to approve an ordinance to regulate retail/credit card/net 30 policy
01:25:35 - Supervisor Henyard requests to table that motion, Trustee Jones so moves, the vote is tied, so the motion to table dies
01:27:00 - Motion to approve an ordinance to regulate the use of Township merchandise for personal promotion by elected and appointed officials
01:29:23 - Motion to approve three additional contractors for HAP lawn mowing and maintenance services at $35 per lawn (1. Hall and Sons, 2. Rodriguez Lawn Services, and 3. Raul & Sons) and authorize Township officials and the Township attorney to negotiate a contract consistent with the award
01:29:48 - Chosen residents are invited in to be part of the discussion
01:33:12 - Belinda Williams
01:35:06 - Gloria Red
01:36:21 - Voiceover summary fills in for missing footage
01:37:16 - Barbara F.
01:38:51 - Debra Reeves
01:40:58 - Michael Smith
01:44:46 - Dan Lee
01:48:35 - Motion to go into closed session to discuss terminations of past employee and possible rehiring of certain employees under new terms
01:50:06 - Returning from closed session, minus Trustee Jones
01:51:53 - Meeting adjourns