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Councilor questions use of outside attorney for Dillsboro Emergency Unit deposition
Summary
A council member asked why the county engaged an Indianapolis attorney in addition to the county attorney for a deposition related to the Dillsboro Emergency Unit, expressing concern about taxpayer cost; officials said outside counsel was recommended when local counsel lacked subject expertise and that bills are public.
During a discussion of county business, Speaker 3 questioned why two attorneys attended a recent deposition involving the Dillsboro Emergency Unit and said residents were concerned about the expense to taxpayers.
Speaker 3 asked for clarification about why the county had both the county attorney and an Indianapolis attorney present and asked how much it cost the county, saying, "you take a high dollar Indianapolis attorney plus Andy, you're probably somewhere between $500,000 an hour" (SEG 493-496). Speaker 1 responded that the county attorney (referred to as Andy in the transcript) recommended outside counsel when he was not versed in that part of the law and noted the county approves budgets that include legal expenses for commissioners (SEG 500-521). Speaker 6 said legal bills are public records and can be reviewed when submitted (SEG 542-549).
The meeting did not include a specific dollar figure for the outside counsel's bill; Speaker 3's numerical phrasing in the transcript was not corroborated during the session. Council members agreed that any specific billing amounts could be reviewed in public records.
Quote: "I'd just like to know how much money it cost us myself," (Speaker 3).
Next steps: No formal action was taken; interested parties were directed to review public billing records for precise figures.
