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Council votes 6-4 to reimburse outside attorney fees after heated debate; requests billing details and legislative review
Summary
After extended debate about precedent and cost, Columbus City Council approved a resolution to reimburse an employee’s outside attorney fees. Councilors raised concerns about large invoices, the state appellate rule requiring reimbursement, and asked staff to seek billing detail and pursue a legislative remedy.
Columbus City Council narrowly approved a resolution on June 17 to reimburse an employee’s outside legal fees, following a contentious discussion about appellate case law that can require local governments to pay attorney fees when an official retains outside counsel.
The council debate focused on a single invoice from an outside firm that several councilors described as unusually large. Councilors expressed concern about the potential for setting a precedent that could expose the city to repeated high invoices; other councilors said failing to follow appellate…
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