Morton's fire chief could lose his job after moving outside the village.
Mayor Jeff Kaufman removed Joe Kelley on Aug. 29 for living outside of Morton in violation of the village's residency requirement for the fire chief. The mayor said Kelley also stopped driving his village-issued take-home vehicle, in violation of the village personnel manual.
Village attorney Pat McGrath said the village board now needs to vote against a procedural reinstatement motion to confirm the mayor's decision.
The village board voted Monday to defer that vote for two weeks.
Kelley is currently off the job, but still on the payroll. He was making $141,278 in total compensation in 2023. Kelley started with the Morton Fire Department in 1991, and was bumped up to the top job in 1999.
Justin Hale is the interim fire chief.
