Eldridge fired Keith Schneckloth from his role as city mechanic last year when officials found receipts they said showed he had misspent city funds and avoided sales tax on $1,000 in personal purchases.
The extent of misconduct is at the heart of the current controversy between City Hall and the Eldridge Fire Department, where Schneckloth resumed his post as fire chief in April.
Schneckloth has emerged as a leading voice in the fire department’s push to remain independent of city government while receiving more than $760,000 from city coffers. That sum includes a $108,000 salary for the fire chief.
A state judge held in April that Schneckloth had used city accounts to dodge sales tax on $1,042.44 in personal purchases at NAPA Auto Parts. He also falsified at least one timecard and used $86.68 in city public works funds to purchase an item for the fire department, the judge ruled. The decision denied Schneckloth unemployment benefits.
In a recent letter sent to every Eldridge household, Schneckloth writes that he was fired for what “could have been handled as a routine accounting adjustment.”
In an interview with The North Scott Press, Schneckloth further denied falsifying timecards or intentionally avoiding sales tax.
“I have consistently put the interests of our community, our fire fighters, and public safety first. I remain proud of that record,” he writes. “Residents and business leaders are entitled to reach their own conclusions regarding my termination. However, I encourage you to look beyond the headlines, ask questions, and examine the facts yourself.”
In a statement, the city of Eldridge said that the letter “omits important facts.” His explanation for purchases at NAPA changed during the course of their investigation, which ultimately concluded that he had “failed to properly manage City purchasing and public funds.”
Schneckloth briefly stepped down as fire chief after he was fired from the city, but he resumed the post in April.
Facts of the firing
Eldridge City Administrator Nevada Lemke first raised concerns about Schneckloth after she reviewed NAPA receipts he kept as city mechanic.
On Sept. 19, 2025, Schneckloth had spent $86.68 on parts for a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe owned by the fire department, not the city. He had billed the parts to a city account for the Ford F350 owned by the city public works department.
Additional receipts reviewed by Lemke revealed that Schneckloth had made $1,042.44 purchases with his personal credit card through the city account, on which no sales tax had been charged.
The spending pattern began in 2014, State Judge Brooke Axiotis determined.
Schneckloth told the city that he had accidentally selected city accounts from a drop-down menu and had retroactively requested that NAPA apply sales tax to personal purchases.
An investigation by the city concluded that explanations Schneckloth gave for the purchases had “no validity.”
The city also alleged that Schneckloth clocked into work on Oct. 1 while he was at his personal residence.
Schneckloth was fired from his position as city mechanic Dec. 10.
Axiotis denied Schneckloth unemployment benefits for misconduct, which she called “substantial and disqualifying.”
“Employer had clear policies for credit card and purchasing and also has a Code of Conduct policy. He was aware of these policies and he repeatedly violated these policies,” Axiotis concluded.
Schneckloth’s account
Schneckloth’s own account of his termination will arrive in a letter set to hit every Eldridge mailbox this week.
“For many months, I have remained largely silent regarding my termination from the City of Eldridge. I chose that path as I believed the truth would eventually become clear on its own,” a copy of the letter obtained by The NSP reads. “However, given my long-standing commitment to both our community and our fire department, I believe residents and business leaders deserve to hear directly from me.”
Schneckloth writes that the $86.68 purchase was for tire pressure sensors for a fire department vehicle, “mistakenly billed to a city account instead of being charged to our fire department.”
“Once the error was identified and brought to my attention, it was acknowledged and intended to be corrected,” he writes. “What could have been handled as a routine accounting adjustment instead became the subject of a formal investigation by city administration and legal counsel.”
Schneckloth writes that he “personally paid for” other purchases scrutinized by the investigation. Several misattributions were the result of “coding errors that had no impact on city funds.” He told The NSP that he had never committed “an intentional act to dodge sales tax.”
“Despite the absence of any allegation that I personally profited from or intentionally misused city funds, the process ultimately resulted in my placement on administrative leave and my termination,” Schneckloth writes.
His letter does not address whether he used city accounts to avoid paying sales tax or whether he falsified time cards, though he does acknowledge that there “are additional details surrounding the City's decision to terminate my employment.”
Schneckloth told The NSP that what the city characterized as falsifying timecards had been an accident.
“As soon as it was brought to my attention… I went back, looked through, figured it out, and acknowledged it,” he said.
“They decided to hold that, I guess, and used that when they decided to bring me in for investigation,” he added.
Schneckloth’s letter argues that the “larger issue” facing Eldridge residents is “not my employment status,” but “the future of fire and emergency medical services in Eldridge.”
A recent request sent from the fire department to Eldridge city officials doubled the department’s annual financial ask, to $766,516, including $270,000 to be put towards a salary for the fire chief and per-call stipends for volunteers.
Schneckloth’s letter argues that if additional funds are not approved, the losses “will be felt by the residents and businesses who depend on firefighters and EMS personnel to arrive when seconds matter.”
“Public safety should never become secondary to politics, personalities, or disagreements,” Schneckloth writes. “…I am not asking you to support me personally. I am asking you to support your firefighters, the men and women who have made an extraordinary commitment to serve this community when you need them most.”
Further concerns?
Eldridge officials had additional concerns about Schneckloth in December, a recent city statement reveals.
Members of the fire department told the city that Schneckloth “did not work full-time for the EVFC” but told the Federal Emergency Management Agency that he did, in order to collect a $50,000 grant administrator salary.
Schneckloth “received and accepted the full $50,000 grant amount. The City found this concerning but had no ability to address it with the EVFC being a separate, private entity,” the Eldridge statement reads.
Schneckloth could not be reached for additional comment before this story went to press.