Two Salem Lakes businesses that filed complaints about fire inspection will be asked to amend their complaints with more specific allegations after action by the Salem Lakes Fire Commission Monday.
The commission unanimously voted to ask Stage Stop restaurant and Auto Truck Equipment to detail what specific ordinances, statutes and regulations they contend have been violated by village fire inspectors. The detail is needed for the commission to determine whether the allegations are worthy of a hearing that could result in discipline for the village employees involved, commission members said.
“”They have to be specific with their complaint and they have not,” said Allan Thennes, commission president.
An attorney representing both businesses had delivered to the commission Monday additional information. However, village attorney Richard Scholze said the commission should consider only the original complaint itself. He advised that the commission could reject the original complaints outright due to the lack of specifics, but that a more practical solution given the likelihood of refiling of new complaints might be to ask for amended, more specific complaints.
The commission set a deadline of June 9 for the filing of the amended complaints. The commission will meet June 12 to consider whether the allegations in the amended complaints are sufficient to warrant a hearing.
Scholze said in his opinion the commission ought to avoid doing its own investigation of the matter and instead consider what is presented in the formal complaints and wait for evidence presented by both sides if a hearing takes place.
