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Council approves budget amendment to cover outside legal services
Summary
Council passed an ordinance to amend FY2026 appropriations to cover outside legal services related to litigation, contract work and employment investigations; staff said the city funnels outside counsel invoices through the legal services account and bills back at no markup.
The Bellaire City Council approved an ordinance amending the FY2026 general fund appropriations to cover outside legal services, including litigation and employment matters handled by outside counsel.
Alan, who explained the request on behalf of staff, said the amendment "is to cover some expenses that we've had associated with some litigations, some contract documents that were prepared by outside counsel for us and some employment issues that were handled by outside counsel." He told the council the invoices flow through his office and are billed to the legal services account with no markup. Council members asked whether some employment matters could be handled through the Texas Municipal League; Alan said certain disputes required outside counsel and were not handled by TML.
Council member Witt moved the ordinance and Council member Gordon seconded. The motion passed unanimously by voice/raised‑hand vote.
Why it matters: The amendment reforms appropriations to align the budget with actual outside counsel expenditures, ensuring the legal services account covers costs arising from litigation and investigations.
