Local cleaning company owner says village of Dolton owes her nearly $13K, could lose business

DOLTON, Ill. (WLS) -- A local cleaning company says the village of Dolton owes them nearly $13,000.

The business owner says they were hired to clean the Dolton Police Department, when, all of a sudden, the village stopped making payments.

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She called the ABC7 I-Team for help.

She's furious and devastated.

The woman says she's been waiting on the village of Dolton to send her a check for the missing payments for months.

Now, she says she's in jeopardy of losing her cleaning business.

Teshinya Wilnewic was proud to support the village of Dolton and its police officers.

She says her cleaning company, TNT Cleaning Solutions, was hired in 2023, to clean the police department, under former Mayor Tiffany Henyard's administration.

"The agreement was we work twice a day, once on Saturdays, and the payment was $3,200 per month," Wilnewic said.

The owner says, the first five months were great. They were paid on time by the village in full.

But then, she says, payment stopped.

"To have done the work and not get paid, not even an email sent, not partial payment, it's devastating," Wilnewic said.

She says the village owes her four payments: totaling $12,800.

The owner showed unpaid invoices, saying she had to tap into her savings to keep her business afloat.

"It's all depleted now. Now, we're in a rut, and they don't even understand the position that they've put us in," Wilnewic said. "I felt like you could get the story out. I saw what you did with previous issues, and you handled it. You got it taken care of. That's why I'm reaching out to you."

A Dolton spokesperson said in part: "The Village of Dolton is aware of the vendor's claim and recognizes that this, along with several other agreements, originated under the direction of the former mayor and administration. As we continue to navigate the aftermath of the previous administration, we are actively working to sort through these outstanding commitments."

Wilnewic said she does not feel bad for the new mayor.

"Not at all because when you take on tenure from a previous mayor, you take on whatever they brought to the table and whatever is left. You have to rectify those situations, so, no," Wilnewic said. "I need my money. Pay me my money, plain and simple."

The village of Dolton said they've started a process of securing an outside firm to assist with organizing and verifying pending vendor payments and contracts.

The village says they've been in communication with the cleaning company and remain committed to finding a resolution that is both fair and fiscally responsible.

Henyard did not respond to a request for comment.

If you need consumer reporter Samantha Chatman's help, call 312-750-7TIP, or click here.