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Council presses corporation counsel on outside legal costs, paralegal funding and vendor transparency
Summary
Corporation Counsel Roger Vereen presented a proposed office budget and requested funding for contractual programs; council members asked for a vendor list, three years of outside legal spending and recommended rolling some services in‑house to reduce fees.
Roger Vereen, the city’s corporation counsel, presented his office’s requested budget and explained that the office currently includes one full‑time counsel and a part‑time/paralegal support structure. Administration proposed $411,000 for the corporation counsel budget and requested $75,000 for contractual legal services; council members proposed holding contractual services closer to last year’s actuals and asked for detailed vendor lists.
Council members asked administration to provide a vendor list of outside attorneys and a three‑year history of legal spending so the council could see total costs for outside counsel, MMRMA (insurance) legal charges and other legal vendors. Several council members said the city still pays a significant amount to outside labor counsel and other firms and asked for a breakdown by vendor and function.
Administration and counsel noted that in‑house counsel has taken on more responsibilities previously handled by outside firms, producing some savings, and that certain specialized matters or insurance claims will still require outside counsel. Council discussed reducing the contractual services line and asked for documentation of prior years’ expenditures; a council motion to reduce the contractual request was discussed and staff agreed to return with vendor details and the three‑year spending history.
Next steps: corporation counsel will provide the council with a vendor list and a three‑year accounting of outside legal expenditures and supplemental contracts; council asked staff to show comparative figures for in‑house vs outside counsel costs.
