Dolton Mayor (name not specified) told attendees during the mayor’s report that the village hall will be open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., that 22 homes have been identified for remediation or demolition, and that a grant has been secured to repave 12 streets in the village.

The announcement was offered as part of a broader update that also covered the village’s audit status, an historical-committee review of a property described as “Pope Leo’s childhood home,” outreach about unclaimed property through the Illinois State Treasurer’s iCash site, and early talks about an intergovernmental agreement with the Dolton Park District.

The mayor said regular office hours are Monday–Wednesday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Thursdays only for court-related business, and Fridays 8 a.m.–5 p.m., and added Saturday hours so residents with busy work weeks “can take advantage of that.” The mayor said 12 people used the new Saturday hours in the most recent week and that eight of those visitors asked about meeting with trustees.

On blight and demolitions, the mayor said the village has identified 22 homes “that are in great disrepair” and is completing the legal process to obtain title where necessary before demolition. The mayor cited one property already addressed at 145 In Park Street and said titles have been secured for three additional properties “coming up within the next two weeks.” The mayor described the work as a legal-and-administrative process that must be completed before demolition can occur.

The village has highlighted 12 streets for repaving, the mayor said, and attributed the work to a grant secured “with our engineering firm” that must be earmarked specifically for repaving. The mayor said the repaving process takes roughly one month from start to completion and asked residents to cooperate with temporary “no parking” signage during work.

On municipal finance and oversight, the mayor said the village has been working through an audit backlog. The mayor reported that audits for prior fiscal years are being closed out and said the fiscal 2023 audit is “slated to be completed… by December 31” to keep progress moving forward. No further audit details or dollar figures were provided in the meeting.

The mayor also said the village has created a historical committee to gather information and evaluate prospects related to the acquisition of what the mayor called Pope Leo’s childhood home; the committee membership has been identified and the village will provide updates as work proceeds.

The mayor encouraged residents to search the Illinois State Treasurer’s iCash (unclaimed property) website, saying the village found more than five pages of unclaimed property for Dolton and that individual residents sometimes find significant sums. Trustee Belcher stressed the point with a meeting example: “I actually had a resident that I needed to notarize some papers for, but, she had well over 30 some thousand dollars that was missing that she didn't know she was entitled to.” The mayor said village staff will pursue unclaimed funds for the municipality and may seek an on-site visit from the treasurer’s office.

The mayor said the village and village staff are discussing a possible intergovernmental agreement with the Dolton Park District to “maximize our resources.” The mayor added Attorney McGrath had previously discussed lawsuits in a different portion of the meeting but gave no further detail about legal matters during the mayor’s report.

The mayor closed by urging residents to vote in the March election (the mayor referenced March 17) and offered thanks to staff and local public-safety leaders for outreach and community events. The mayor then said they would “entertain a motion to adjourn”; the transcript does not record a motion or vote on adjournment.

No formal motions, votes, or ordinance actions relating to the items above were recorded in the mayor’s report portion of the transcript. The announcements described operational changes, ongoing legal/title work required for demolitions, a grant-funded capital project (repaving), and administrative steps on audits and historical-property review.