Residents and trustees urge DeKalb County to delay Shabnam Fire District trustee appointment

Several current and former fire trustees and volunteer firefighters told the DeKalb County Board they were surprised and concerned that a self‑nominating letter was considered for appointment to the Shabnam Community Fire Protection District trustee seat rather than following previous practice of appointing candidates recommended by the fire chief.

The request came during the meeting’s public‑comment period, when Joe Herman, who identified himself as a volunteer firefighter and paramedic and the EMS captain for his department, said, "This came as much surprise because none of the 3 current trustees were stepping down." He asked the county to explain why the district’s past practice had changed and whether the board would continue appointing trustees based solely on self‑nominations.

Why it matters: Several speakers said local trustees and fire department members should have an opportunity to review candidates and that appointments made without chief recommendations risk internal division. Multiple commenters asked the board to postpone action to allow further review and to ensure the district’s procedures were followed.

Current trustee Steve Props told the board he had served 16 years and described a longstanding local practice: "In my 16 years of the district trustees, every appointment to the work was recommended by the chief." Props said he believed the executive committee’s presentation of the applicant was misleading and urged the board to scrutinize how contact between the applicant and board members occurred prior to the executive committee vote.

Other speakers echoed similar concerns. William Heiminger asked the board to table the appointment to allow time for investigation; Allison Hinprops, who said she has been a village trustee since 2021, described attendance and disciplinary records for the applicant while serving on a village board and said those records were relevant for the county to review before appointing the person to a fire‑district board. Trustee Steve Plumbenstein also said he and other department members only learned of the competing application a day earlier and asked the board to reconsider the selection process.

Board response and next steps: County legal counsel advised the board that, because some fire‑district boards are three‑member boards and two members could be current firefighters, an appointee who is also a firefighter could create voting conflicts on financial matters. After discussion, the board voted to table consideration of the appointment; the item will be returned to the executive committee and placed on the agenda for next month for further review and additional recommendations.

Ending: Speakers asked the county to ensure transparency and adherence to local rules for appointments. The board’s action to table the appointment means no trustee will be seated at tonight’s meeting; the matter will return for further consideration at an upcoming meeting.