The acrimonious 2 1/2-year-old legal war between the Will County Board and the Veterans Assistance Commission has all but ended after a board committee approved a one-time payment to the head of the commission.
Under terms of a resolution approved by the Budget and Revenue Committee on Wednesday, commission Supt. James Denbow will be given $24,321 in back pay. The board is expected to affirm the resolution at its meeting this month.
Denbow and the board had been battling since December 1993, when the commission’s budget was slashed by $100,000 and Denbow’s salary was cut to $23,700 from $46,000.
But in June 1995, the state 3rd District Appellate Court ruled the board could not arbitrarily alter the benefit levels, staff salaries and rules of the commission.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Will County Assistant State’s Atty. John Urban told the committee that the Appellate Court ruling did not force the county to pay Denbow anything.
But the committee voted 3-1, with Ruth Kennedy (D-Joliet) voting no, to approve the transfer of funds. Denbow’s salary is $39,600.
