Five of Lakewood’s Village Trustees have been seeking clarification about the financing of the village’s golf course clubhouse.
Here is Trustee Jason McMahon’s reply to Village President David Stavropoulos:
RedTail Golf Course: Financial Oversight Is Not Micromanagement
Reviewing interfund borrowing and requesting financial records is not micromanagement.
It is part of a Village Trustee’s fiduciary responsibility to ensure accountability and protect taxpayer funds.
Village audits from 2016 through 2026 consistently report year-end balances owed by RedTail Golf Course to other Village funds or cash overdrafts.
The FY2025 audit reported $1,109,186 owed by RedTail.
The FY2026 audit initially reported $1,405,849, later reduced to $857,805 in a revised draft, with an additional $548,044 transfer still under review. [See attached table.]
At the August 11, 2026, Board meeting, Village President Dave Stavropoulos stated:
“Any general fund advances made to Redtail during my time in office has also been repaid.
“Since I took office in the spring of ’21, Redtail has cost Lakewood taxpayers zero dollars.” [Village website audio, from the 2:00 mark]
Yet the Village’s audits report outstanding balances at every year-end, including April 30, 2026.
These figures raise legitimate questions about how the advances were authorized, accounted for, and will be repaid.
Illinois law (65 ILCS 5/8-1-3.1) permits borrowing between municipal funds only if the money is repaid within the current fiscal year.
The authorization and treatment of these balances remain important questions requiring clarification.
The administration is proposing another deficit budget, where expenditures exceed revenue, for FY 27/28.
In a community operating with limited resources, understanding available cash and interfund obligations is critical.
Lost interest on $1,000,000 has an impact on our budget.
Financial oversight is not micromanagement.
Residents deserve transparent accounting, documented approvals, and clear answers about how public funds are being managed.
