The former chief of the shuttered Spencer Township Fire Department has filed suit against the township trustees, claiming he is owed severance for losing his job.
Carl Arnold of Ida, Mich., argues his contract with the township stipulated he would be paid 80 percent of the remainder of the contract since his termination. Trustees have not filed a formal response to the lawsuit, filed in February.
Trustee Chairman Shawn Valentine said he was instructed by the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office not to comment because of the litigation.
His termination’s cause isn’t listed in the suit, but the case appears related to the 2016 merger of the fire department with Springfield Township’s. Spencer Township Trustees voted in April to combine the two departments and also voted to rescind fire employees’ contracts, in part because “certain clauses were not legal such as severance pay,” according to meeting minutes.
Mr. Arnold was hired Dec. 17, 2015 and given a three-year contract effective Jan. 1, 2016. His employment was terminated on June 30, 2016, the day before Springfield Township took over fire services.
A copy of his contract appended to the lawsuit shows the 80-percent provision, under which the lawsuit claims he is owed $85,696. According to the lawsuit, he demanded payment in August, 2016, but township trustees refused.
Meeting minutes show he requested the agreement with Springfield Township include a stipulation it absorb Spencer Township fire employees. Instead, he was told staff could be given preferential hiring consideration.
Contact Nolan Rosenkrans at: nrosenkrans@theblade.com or 419-724-6086, or on Twitter @NolanRosenkrans.
First Published March 29, 2017, 4:00 a.m.
