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Administration committee adopts tiered fee schedule for appeals and moves to closed session on claim settlement
Summary
The Administration Committee created a tiered fee structure for administrative appeals (noting state-law limits) and voted to enter closed session to discuss a recent claim by Eugene Fost that a judge found 50/50 liability on; the committee indicated it will pursue settlement discussions in closed session.
The West Allis Administration Committee adopted a resolution establishing a tiered fee structure for matters before the administrative appeals review board.
Committee members said appeals—often involving police officers, an attorney, department staff and citizen members—have become more frequent and that processing them imposes staff and legal costs. The committee discussed balancing due-process concerns with cost recovery; as one member noted, state law permits charging no more than the city’s actual cost for an appeal. Committee members said the new tiers aim to reduce incentives to file appeals when the appellant faces little chance of success and to recoup some city costs.
Following that vote, the committee briefly considered Item 27, a claim by Eugene Fost for alleged physical injury. The city attorney summarized the background, telling the committee a recent trial resulted in a 50/50 liability ruling and a judgment against the city. Committee members voted to move into closed session to discuss settlement options; the public meeting record indicates the committee directed settlement discussions in closed session.
Both actions were taken in the same administration meeting; the fee-schedule resolution was adopted by voice vote and the committee went into closed session to address the claim.
