The West Baton Rouge Parish Fire Protection District No. 1 reached a settlement Monday with former Deputy Fire Chief James Hartley Jr., bringing an end — at least for now — to a civil service appeal that raised serious questions about who had the authority to fire him in the first place.

The Civil Service Board accepted the agreement during a public hearing Monday afternoon at the Parish Administration Building in Port Allen. The room was packed with fire department personnel and community members.

What the Board Approved

Attorney Troy Ingram, representing the fire district, and Kevin Vogeltanz, representing Hartley, presented the settlement jointly. The board voted to accept the agreement and conditionally dismiss the appeal.

Key terms:

• The settlement amount was not disclosed at the hearing. It will become public only after the Fire District Board of Commissioners approves the agreement.
• No admission of liability was included.
• Either party has 90 days to finalize the agreement. If it is not completed within that window, either side can move to reinstate the appeal proceedings.

The board's acceptance of the agreement does not end the matter entirely — the settlement must still go before the Board of Commissioners for final approval.

Background

Hartley, who served as Deputy Fire Chief for West Baton Rouge Parish Fire Protection District No. 1, was terminated in January 2026. He filed two notices of appeal — dated December 30, 2025, and January 30, 2026 — contesting the discipline and termination under the Fire and Police Civil Service Law for Small Municipalities and Parishes and Fire Protection Districts, La. R.S. 33:2531 et seq.

His attorney raised several significant legal arguments in the appeal, including:

Appointing authority: Vogeltanz argued that Hartley was neither investigated nor terminated by a lawful appointing authority. Under parish ordinance, only the fire chief holds that authority over subordinate firefighters — and at the time, the fire district had no duly appointed fire chief. The district had contracted with Browning Associates LLC to serve in that role, but Vogeltanz argued a private business entity cannot legally serve as fire chief or exercise the appointing authority that comes with the position.

60-day rule: State law requires that an investigation into a firefighter's alleged misconduct be completed within 60 days of commencement. Vogeltanz argued the district's investigation began November 18, 2025, and was not concluded within that period.

FMLA interference: Hartley contended that the district's sick leave policy — and his resulting termination — interfered with his federally protected rights to job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Retaliation: Hartley alleged the termination was retaliatory. He spoke publicly at a Board of Commissioners meeting in October 2025 against a resolution to abolish the position of fire chief. Within weeks, an investigation was opened against him.

Vogeltanz Speaks

Vogeltanz spoke to reporters from WBR Independent and WBRZ following the hearing, saying both sides were prepared to go forward if necessary.

"We were able to reach a fair resolution that is subject to Board of Commissioners approval," he said.

He described the settlement as a mutual effort. "Both sides put in a lot of hard work and they were able to find common ground this afternoon," Vogeltanz said, adding that a confidentiality agreement on the settlement negotiations prevented him from disclosing who initiated the discussions.

On his client, Vogeltanz was direct. "I want to thank my client, who did great throughout this entire process. Very proud of him."

He also praised opposing counsel. "I want to thank our opponents, who I think treated us very fairly throughout the process."

Asked how confident he was in the case going in, Vogeltanz said the team was always prepared. "Settlement is an expression of the idea that you can be very confident and still nothing in life is guaranteed. We're very satisfied with the agreement that we reached."

If the Board of Commissioners declines to approve the settlement, Vogeltanz said the path forward is clear. "We will file a motion to reset the hearing... and we'll be right back here, ready to go."

What Comes Next

The settlement amount will not be public until the Board of Commissioners votes on the agreement. Other terms of the settlement may remain confidential.

The broader questions raised by the Hartley appeal — including who can legally serve as fire chief and whether the district's contracting arrangement with Browning Associates LLC is lawful — remain unresolved and will continue to be examined as part of WBR Independent's ongoing coverage of Fire Protection District No. 1.

What the Legal Terms Mean

No admission of liability: The fire district agreed to pay Hartley to settle his claims without acknowledging it did anything wrong. It's a common settlement term, but it doesn't mean the allegations went away — it means both sides decided not to let a board decide who was right.

Conditionally dismissed: The appeal is closed for now, but if the settlement falls apart within 90 days, either side can reopen it.

Watch the Meeting on YOUTUBE

WBR Independent is a locally owned, independent news publication covering West Baton Rouge Parish. Support our work at WBRIndependent.com.

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