City officials publicly question attorney fees

By Linda Trest, Staff Writer
Posted 1/20/21

At last Thursday’s Gerald Board of Alderman meeting, Ward 1 Alderman Angela Koepke spoke out against the city attorney’s latest bill for $2,247.50.

The charges on the bill apparently …

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City officials publicly question attorney fees

Posted

At last Thursday’s Gerald Board of Alderman meeting, Ward 1 Alderman Angela Koepke spoke out against the city attorney’s latest bill for $2,247.50.

The charges on the bill apparently resulted from an issue a landowner had with an easement on property he had purchased. 

When that issue was first brought to the board, Dave Streubel, the city’s attorney advised the board to take no action and incur no cost.

Ward 1 Alderman Steve Grgurich recalled that the attorney advised the board they “had no dog in the fight.”

Ward 2 Alderman Ed Adams remembers the board was advised “not to do anything with it.”

Ultimately, the Board of Alderman did put an ordinance on record late last year recognizing the abandonment of an easement by a utility company. 

Ward 2 Alderman Corey Novotney suggested the city call the attorney to renegotiate the amount of the bill. 

City Clerk Be Ahring was instructed to contact the attorney for clarification. 

The city has budgeted $50,000 for legal fees in 2021.

It is believed that the City of Gerald has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on attorney fees in the last several years in a lawsuit with Bull Moose Tube Co. Officials have been steadfast in not releasing actual numbers.