Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Legal Spending topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public raises concerns over rising legal costs; board asks staff to draft a transparency policy
Summary
A community member asked the board to pull a consent item and explain legal expenses she said had grown to about $1.6 million. The superintendent said the costs relate to contractor litigation reaching trial and that details of ongoing litigation are privileged; the board requested staff draft a policy on how to communicate similar matters to the public and tentatively scheduled a first reading for September.
At the meeting's public-comment period a resident asked the board to pull a consent-item expenditure and explain legal fees she said had risen to about $1.6 million. The speaker said the increase merited public review before the board approved the consent agenda.
Superintendent Dr. Manar responded that the expenditure supports the district's defense in two contractor lawsuits alleging project-delivery delays. He said the litigation began in 2020, has reached trial, and the law-firm invoices and billing strategy for active litigation are generally subject to attorney-client privilege and not appropriate for public disclosure in detail.
Trustees expressed concern about transparency and placed a follow-up task for staff to propose a board policy and administrative regulation describing how the district will communicate about material legal expenditures and consent items while preserving attorney-client privilege. The superintendent's office agreed to prepare a draft policy and to present a first reading at or before the board's September meeting.
The consent item was considered and approved per the board's usual consent procedure; trustees said they would consider formalizing a public-notification practice for significant legal costs in future agenda processes.
