County staff say groundwater case could require $7,500 legal fee per participant

County staff raised the prospect that an unresolved groundwater matter could lead to court proceedings that would require each new participant to pay about $7,500 in legal fees. Staff member 3 said the office had received emails from Allison Bass and that "if this goes to court, then each of the participants they're anticipating would need to pay $7,500 legally." He added, "we probably need to budget that $7,500." The potential expense was discussed as an item to include in upcoming budgets; staff described the $7,500 figure as tied to participants expected within the next year. The transcript does not show a formal motion or vote to set aside funds for the contingency. The matter was presented as a fiscal contingency rather than a final obligation: the staff member framed the amount as what participants would need to pay "if this goes to court," and noted the timing as "within the next year." No legal filing or court date was recorded in the discussion. For now, staff recommended the amount be shown in budget planning so the county can account for the possible outlay if litigation proceeds.