Former police chief’s lawsuit has cost Decatur $42,000.

DECATUR, Ill. (AP) - The city of Decatur has spent more than $42,000 to defend itself in a lawsuit filed by the city’s former police chief.

The (Decatur) Herald & Review (https://bit.ly/2oTbHNz ) reports that financial records reveal the city’s price tab for its defense in former Chief Brad Sweeney’s wrongful termination claim. Decatur’s costs will climb even more because the $42,000 does not include the cost of a court hearing last month and because Sweeney’s attorney says he plans to take the case that’s been dismissed by circuit and appellate court judges to the state Supreme Court.

While paying such a tab is particularly tough at a time of declining property values and anemic sales tax revenues, an attorney representing Decatur says that not fighting the claim might invite other claims against the city.