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Resident criticizes public reading of complaint about fire department; trustees, chief respond
Summary
A resident said the fire chief's public reading of a workplace complaint at a prior meeting should have remained internal, citing 'resolution 109-26' and election‑day exposure; trustees and the fire chief responded with procedural clarifications and a report on call volumes and wellness programming.
During Citizens' Voice a resident criticized the fire chief for reading an internal complaint at a board meeting and said the matter should have remained internal rather than aired publicly.
"This is an internal issue that should have stayed in the village hall, not out here in the public," the resident said, adding that disclosure of two workplace harassment complaints and related social‑media posts affected the June 16 election and was "totally unfair and uncalled for." The speaker referenced "resolution 109‑26" as addressing two workplace harassment matters.
The resident said Trustee St. Germaine was booed when she tried to respond and that Trustee Bolton signaled the fire chief not to answer. There was no record in the transcript of a formal rebuttal by the board at that time.
At the meeting the fire chief (who did not give a full name on the record during his report) later provided an operational update and invited residents to visit the firehouse. He said the department had responded to roughly 478 calls year‑to‑date and that roughly one‑third of calls were in the village, one‑third in the town of Cicero and the rest were mutual aid. He also highlighted that the department has a dedicated health and wellness officer and that members will participate in a research study examining sleep impacts on firefighters.
The transcript records community concern about whether internal staffing and harassment matters should be discussed in an open forum; no formal disciplinary or investigatory outcomes were announced at the meeting. Trustee comments later in the agenda referenced the proposed third fire station and repeatedly emphasized that any major facility decisions would require voter approval via referendum and bonding timelines.
The board did not take a formal action at the meeting to reopen or investigate internal personnel matters; the resident's complaint and references to resolution 109‑26 were recorded in public comment.
