SAUK VILLAGE | The issue of which public officials have the authority to decide who runs the village's police and fire departments is scheduled to come before a judge Friday.
Attorneys for Village President Lewis Towers and members of the Village Board are scheduled to appear before Judge Mary Mikva at 3 p.m. Friday at the Daley Center in Chicago.
But Burt Odelson, head of the law firm that provides legal services to Sauk Village government, said late Thursday night the issue may be settled Friday morning. He provided no further details.
Attorneys for the village trustees want Mikva to issue an injunction preventing Towers from having Police Chief Robert Fox run the two departments, with longtime Fire Chief Alan Stoffregen serving as a deputy.
Towers' move was in reaction to the trustees, who approved a measure earlier this month putting Stoffregen in charge of the two agencies, removing Fox from the village payroll.
Mike McGrath, the village attorney representing the trustees, said he will argue that Towers could make his proposed shift only if there was a vacancy existing in the department.
Trustees have said they want to make the move because of financial shortfalls that make elimination of one of the chief positions a necessity.
Towers has said he does not think Stoffregen is qualified to run the Police Department, while trustees argue Fox is not capable of running the Fire Department.
Earlier this week, several Fire Department officials signed a "no confidence" letter against Fox running the Fire Department.
Mikva is expected to issue a ruling after hearing arguments.
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