Excerpts from the nwherald.com:
The firefighters’ union is suing the city over its decision to discontinue a special tax fund that firefighters intended to use for various personal items, ranging from fitness trackers to coffee supplies. This legal action could further strain the relationship between the union and city officials, especially following recent disciplinary actions against nine Crystal Lake firefighters—two of whom were arrested—over an incident that occurred at a local bar in March.
The Crystal Lake Foreign Fire Insurance Tax Board and the city’s firefighter's union filed a lawsuit on August 2 against the city and several city officials, accusing them of violating state laws by eliminating the foreign fire insurance tax imposed on out-of-state insurance companies. This tax typically generates over $60,000 annually. The lawsuit claims that the city council violated state laws when it allegedly dissolved the tax board, withheld foreign fire tax fees, and refunded the collected amounts back to the paying insurance companies. However, this wasn’t exactly what happened. In reality, the city council approved a modified version of the ordinance. An earlier draft had proposed dissolving the board, but the city council never discussed or voted on it.
Mayor Aaron Shepley stated that the tax board presented a draft of the lawsuit to council members ahead of their August 1 meeting, seemingly to intimidate them. He noted that the tax board failed to update its lawsuit to correctly represent the actions taken by the council, which only involved setting the tax rate at zero and agreeing to utilize the remaining approximately $150,000 in the fund until it was fully spent, according to city records.
This conflict arises from the board seeking city council approval to use foreign fire tax funds for benefits that directly benefited individual firefighters, such as fitness trackers, duffel bags, health club memberships, daycare services, and even coffee beans, which the city already provides. The foreign fire tax is meant to support the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department, funding equipment, training, and other departmental necessities.
Fire Rescue Chief Paul DeRaedt, who serves as a trustee on the tax board due to his position, expressed concerns about the board’s recent requests, as these expenditures appeared to prioritize personal benefits for firefighters over the department as a whole. “These kinds of purchases—like the fitness trackers, gym memberships, and coffee—are questionable because they seem like unnecessary extras,†he said. “We’re essentially spending extra money on things we’ve already provided.â€
In prior years, foreign fire tax funds were allocated to purchase essential items such as exercise equipment and a firehouse alert system for all three stations. They also helped acquire additional gear for reserve engines, hydraulic tools for rescues, carbon monoxide detectors, and backup firefighting suits.
For instance, on January 7, 2015, the board approved spending $44,000 per year to reimburse gym memberships for firefighters. It was unclear if this amount also covered childcare services while members used the gyms. Later, in 2016, the board approved $14,000 for 70 fitness trackers and $2,600 annually for purchasing 36 pounds of whole coffee beans from PI Coffee Roasters. The city already spends around $1,270 annually on coffee and filters for all departments. PI Coffee Roasters, based in Rockford, operates Fire Department Coffee—a firefighter-owned business that donates part of its profits to military and firefighter charities.
The most recent expenditure approved by the board was around $57,000 for legal services. While the specifics of these services remain unclear from the board’s meeting minutes, they would consume nearly all of the roughly $61,000 the tax board collects each year.
Since 2003, the Illinois Municipal League has collected and transferred over $780,000 in foreign fire tax fees to the city, according to the union’s lawsuit. The tax will likely generate another $61,000 in the fall before stopping future collections unless an agreement is reached regarding the fund’s usage.
Mayor Shepley commented, “The current board has reversed course compared to its predecessors over the last 20 years. As long as they persist in this path, it’s better for taxpayers not to shoulder these costs.â€
Chief DeRaedt pointed out that changes in the board’s leadership, which occurs every two years in December, have caused differing opinions between board members and city officials about what constitutes a legitimate departmental expense.
In July, the tax board voted to hire legal counsel to revise its bylaws and seek funds they believe the city is withholding illegally. A January tax board meeting saw heated exchanges between union members and city officials.
Mayor Shepley added that the Crystal Lake Professional Firefighters Local 3926 union, one of the two plaintiffs in the lawsuit, has no place in discussions unrelated to the city’s collective bargaining agreement. The union’s contract with the city expires on April 30, and negotiations are expected to start in the spring.
Regarding the future of the foreign fire insurance tax, Chief DeRaedt mentioned he hasn’t heard of any upcoming meetings between the board and city officials but remains hopeful.
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