Valpo City Council OKs $150k for attorney, consultants | #citycouncil

Up to $50,000 can be spent for legal services, while up to $100,000 can be used for consulting services.

The appropriation was approved in a party-line vote, with the five Democrats voting in favor and the two Republicans voting against it.

The funding will come out of the city’s Cigarette Tax Fund.

The ordinance authorizing the appropriation was first introduced on Feb. 12 by Council President Robert Cotton, D-2nd. According to Cotton, the council retaining its own attorney and consulting services might be necessary in case they need a second opinion or have a disagreement with the mayor. Cotton said he hoped the council would not have to spend that money.

However, the Republican councilmen claimed there was a lack of transparency in how the ordinance was introduced.

“I had never been approached by a single member on this council about this ordnance,” said Councilman Peter Anderson, R-5th. “How can I present any of this to my constituency if I’m not included as part of this body?”

Residents expressed mixed reactions to the ordinance during a public hearing prior to the vote on Monday.

Russ Schaade argued the funding could be better spent on other needs around the city, such as for more school resource officers.

“The number one thing that we have that we should be worried about spending money on is the safety of our kids,” Schaade said.

However, Scott Sederstrom spoke in favor of the ordinance, saying it would help restore some political balance in the city.

“I know we can’t expect the interests of the council and the mayor’s office to be in alignment all the time and as an equal branch of government, council needs to be able to act independently, which requires funding,” said Sederstrom.

It’s unclear how the appropriated funds will be used, if at all. However, some of the council members and residents supported the money being used to study the city’s Redevelopment Commission and specifically its use of tax increment financing, or TIF, districts.

Municipalities use TIFs to help promote economic development. Incremental growth in property tax revenue generated within a TIF district after its establishment are used for infrastructure improvements and redevelopment within that designated area.

Cotton also suggested the council may need consulting services when it looks to update the city code.

However, Anderson indicated the appropriation was setting a precedent of the council “meddling” with entities it might have issues with.

Hiring of any consultants would still require further approval by the City Council, while securing additional legal representation would need agreement from at least four of the council members.

Any unused funds will go back into the Cigarette Tax Fund.