City of St. Charles Sues Fox River and Countryside Fire Protection District

A simmering dispute between the and the fire district it contracted with for several decades has now led to a lawsuit.

Last week, the city sued the Fox River & Countryside Fire Protection District for $37,500 owed as part of the last contract, which expired April 30, between the two sides. City officials, in a statement released Monday, contend the lawsuit was a last resort after failed discussions with district leaders.

City Attorney Gerald Gorski said district officials have repeatedly tried to tie payment of the money to unrelated issues, some of which are several years old.

"We fully performed the contract. The fire protection district has refused to pay," Gorski said Monday.

Specifically, the city claims the district is withholding payment because, among other things, it wants ownership of a tanker truck which Gorski said was paid for almost entirely by St. Charles—something the district disputes.

District officials also wanted the city to discourage its from talking to district firefighters about union representation, Gorski said, noting that is something the city has nothing to do with.

The district, which covers about 50 square miles in three townships in Kane and DuPage counties, released its own statement late Monday which expressed "disappointment" in the city's decision to sue.

"We feel disheartened that the city has elected to file a lawsuit which will needlessly expend taxpayer monies instead of attempting to reasonably resolve our differences," the statement reads.

The district said it will "vigorously" defend itself and expects to file a counterclaim alleging, in part, the city has limited district access to emergency key boxes and attempted to undermine the district's reputation, according to the statement.

"We expect that these claims on behalf of the district will significantly exceed the amounts demanded by the city," the statement reads.

For five decades, the district contracted with the city and received a portion of the fire department's budget using varying formulas. The last agreement required the district pay $1.8 million, which Gorski said still did not cover all costs associated with fire services outside city limits.

"Essentially, the city has no place to go," Gorski said, referring to filing the lawsuit. "We don't want anything to do with them."