Trustees voted to approve routine claims, including a $12,570.70 invoice from law firm Davis Wright Tremaine, and other small professional-services claims during the regular meeting. The approvals were made after staff told trustees the professional-services account would be over budget if the claims were paid.
The trust’s staff member said the Davis Wright Tremaine claim was “for professional services” related to the Pensacola GRDA relicensing and associated complaint proceeding and listed the amount as $12,570.70. Staff also said that, after prior approvals, paying these two claims would put the professional-services account over the $740,000 budget by $62,233.50. The transcript contains those figures as presented by staff; the meeting record did not include a document attachment verifying the calculation.
Trustees moved and seconded the motion to approve the claims and recorded voice votes in favor. The roll call in the transcript shows trustees saying “Aye” in sequence (recorded in the meeting transcript as Easton/Eastep; Barnes; Jones; a speaker recorded as “Don’t call”; and Parker). The claims item was approved in that voice vote.
Why it matters: the professional-services budget was already close to its annual appropriation, and staff indicated the trust would need to account for the overrun when managing the rest of the fiscal period.
Background and details: The staff explanation said the Davis Wright Tremaine invoice related to a relicensing and complaint proceeding and that the expense had arrived while staff were managing other near-term deadlines. The staff member said they had slowed other spending where possible to prepare for the payment.
Next steps: Trustees approved the payments at the meeting. Staff did not present an alternate funding source at the meeting; the transcript shows no formal direction to transfer funds or request an emergency appropriation during this agenda item.