The board voted to close a civil service appeal that raised questions about who had the legal authority to fire him.
The West Baton Rouge Parish Fire Protection District No. 1 Board of Commissioners voted Thursday to approve a $77,500 settlement with former Deputy Fire Chief James Hartley Jr., ending a civil service appeal that had been pending since late 2025.
The settlement, paid with public funds, requires no admission of wrongdoing by the district.
How It Happened
The board convened at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Parish Administration Building in Port Allen — and for the first time in its history, voted to enter executive session to discuss the matter.
The public gallery, packed ten days earlier at the civil service hearing, was nearly empty. Among those waiting: two Port Allen volunteers and Deanna Fourroux, the fire district’s administrative chief and records custodian.
Commissioners were behind closed doors for approximately 57 minutes. Voices were audible from the hallway during the session, as was laughter toward the end of the closed meeting. The session ran long enough to delay the parish council meeting that was scheduled to follow.
When commissioners returned to open session, the motion to approve the settlement passed, with Commissioner Alan Crowe casting the lone dissenting vote.
The settlement amount was announced publicly following the vote: $77,500.
Background
As WBR Independent first reported, Hartley’s civil service appeal — filed in December 2025 and January 2026 — raised significant legal questions that went beyond his termination.
His attorney, Kevin Vogeltanz, argued that Hartley was not terminated by a lawful appointing authority. Under a 2014 parish ordinance, only the fire chief holds the authority to hire, discipline, and dismiss district employees. At the time of Hartley’s termination, the district had no formally appointed fire chief — instead contracting with Browning Associates LLC to fill that role.
Hartley also alleged his termination was retaliatory. He had spoken publicly at a Board of Commissioners meeting in October 2025 against converting the fire chief position to part-time. Within weeks, an investigation was opened against him.
Additional claims included violations of the 60-day investigation rule under state law and interference with his federally protected rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
What Vogeltanz Said
Speaking to reporters from WBR Independent and WBRZ following the April 13 civil service hearing, Vogeltanz said the team was always confident in its case.
“Settlement is an expression of the idea that you can be very confident and still nothing in life is guaranteed,” he said. “We’re very satisfied with the agreement that we reached.”
He described the settlement as a mutual effort, adding that a confidentiality agreement on the negotiations prevented him from disclosing who initiated discussions.
What It Costs — and What It Doesn’t Resolve
The $77,500 comes from public funds. The district admitted no wrongdoing.
The broader legal questions raised by Hartley’s appeal — including whether a private contractor can lawfully serve as fire chief and exercise the appointing authority that comes with that position — were not addressed by the settlement and remain unresolved.
WBR Independent will continue to cover Fire Protection District No. 1.
WBR Independent is a veteran-owned, locally owned, independent news publication covering West Baton Rouge Parish. Support our work at WBRIndependent.com.
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