Here's How Much Burr Ridge Legal Fight Cost

Burr Ridge IL

20 July, 2021

1:49 PM

Description

BURR RIDGE, IL — Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso wanted to oust the village's longtime finance director. And it came at a big cost — $175,000. Last week, Patch obtained records showing the village spent about $40,000 in legal bills in its efforts against Finance Director Jerry Sapp, who is retiring next month after a quarter century in the position. The legal bills are in addition to the more than $100,000 that the village paid Sapp since September, while he was forced to stay on leave. When the village settled with Sapp in late June, he returned to work, with an agreed-upon retirement date of Aug. 19. Additionally, the settlement involved a payment of $90,000 to Sapp. Of that, $55,000 will be paid through the village's insurer, while $35,000 will be covered by taxpayers. In return, Sapp dropped his complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The settlement bars Sapp and village officials from commenting on the situation. In a memo to the village in April, Sapp said he suffered an anxiety attack on Sept. 4. Four days later, he provided a doctor's note saying he was cleared to return to work. But the village barred him from coming back. Officials did not give the public an explanation. Sapp has said in memos that Grasso was already trying to remove him before his anxiety attack. Last fall, then-Village Administrator Doug Pollock retired under pressure, getting $38,000 in severance pay. In May, the Village Board gave the acting finance director, Amy Nelson, a $15,000 raise, to $125,000. Four days later, she submitted a two-sentence letter of resignation. She expressed no personal sentiments about working for the village. Before April's village election, Mayor Grasso and his allies focused on the costs to village government that they said were connected to then-Trustee Zach Mottl. They said the village had spent more than $60,000 in dealing with Mottl's public records requests and legal matters initiated by him. Mottl, who lost in the April election, disputed the figures. At the same time, Grasso and the board have been publicly silent on the spending in their battle against Sapp. Patch left messages for comment with Grasso and Mottl.