Council debate over $45,000 legal invoice ends without formal grievance; city attorney urges caution

Columbus City Council spent more than an hour debating whether to challenge a roughly $45,000 invoice for outside legal services that the city paid after an official acting in their official capacity retained outside counsel. Several councilors described the bill as “excessive” and asked staff to explore remedies; the city attorney advised that case law supports payment and cautioned against using city funds to pursue a grievance.

Why it mattered: Councilors said the invoice’s amount creates a dangerous precedent if left unchecked. Supporters of action argued a public response — including a grievance to the Georgia State Bar or arbitration — is a legitimate avenue to test excessive-fee claims. The city attorney and the city’s legal office…