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Atlantic Beach approves $3,875 appraisal amid fiscal review after legal fees exceeded budget
Summary
Council voted to hire appraiser Travis Avant for $3,875 to value town parcels with unclear deeds while Interim Manager Linda Cheatham warned legal fees have exceeded the fiscal-year budget and that a detailed six-month expenditure report will be presented in January.
Atlantic Beach's council approved a $3,875 contract for appraisal services Dec. 2 as part of an effort to identify ownership of town parcels that lack clear deeds, and managers warned the town is overspending its annual budget for legal fees.
Councilwoman Carla Taylor moved to approve hiring Travis Avant to perform appraisals for lots the town is seeking to clear for condemnation filings; the motion was seconded and approved by roll call. Interim Town Manager Linda Cheatham told the council the town has engaged an attorney to survey ownership and "we are having appraisal service done by Mr. Avant so that we can file the necessary paperwork to condemn the property and have the property shown as belonging to the town." The council voted to authorize the $3,875 expenditure.
Cheatham also presented the town's fiscal 2025 budget numbers, saying the annual budget is $1.3 million and that the town has spent about $543,000 through the first four months of the year. She highlighted legal fees as a major overrun: a $59,000 annual budget for legal fees has been exceeded, with $81,693 spent through October and additional November charges expected. "In four months, we've spent almost $30,000 more than was budgeted for the entire year," she said, and told council she will provide a six-month expenditures report at the January meeting and seek areas to cut back.
Council members asked whether limits or caps could be placed on legal spending; town staff said there are measures they can pursue and that the administration will present options in their upcoming budget report. No formal cap or policy was adopted at the meeting.
The appraisal contract and the pending budget adjustments are administrative actions; council directed staff to follow through with appraisal work and to return with a detailed report and recommendations in January.
