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Resident questions $3,840 legal fee; mayor explains rationale
Summary
At public comment, resident Christonico asked why the mayor authorized $3,840 in outside legal fees related to a censure inquiry; the mayor said policy and a conflict with the city attorney required independent counsel.
During the citizen comment period Christonico of East College Street asked the council to "continue tabling the city administrator position" and specifically asked for clarification about a $3,840 outside legal fee the mayor had authorized in connection with whether a council member should be removed or censured. "I would simply ask, what would be the motivation to spend this amount of taxpayer money on outside counsel?" Christonico asked.
The mayor responded after citizen comments closed, saying the city'9s code of conduct and complaint process required the city secretary to provide complaint copies to counsel and to the accused and that, because the city attorney was a subject of the complaint, the mayor had two options: hire independent counsel as the policy requires or violate the policy. The mayor cited specific code sections and Texas Local Government Code authority in defense of that decision, saying "violating our policy was not an option." The transcript does not show a separate itemized invoice beyond the resident'9s cited amount.
