Legal Fees Send City of Waukee Over Budget; $95,000 Approved to Pay Excess

The Waukee City Council has approved additional funds to pay the city's rising legal fees.

At a May 21 meeting of the Waukee City Council, an additional $95,000 was approved to pay for the approximate $225,000 in legal fees the city expects to incur by the end of the 2011-12 fiscal year.

In a May 27 article from the Des Moines Register online, officials said the council originally budgeted for $130,000 to pay its legal fees which included the contract with City Attorney Steve Brick. Brad Deets, interim city administrator, said human resources issues are to blame for the increase.

“That’s where the big chunk and the additional costs occurred in this current fiscal year,” Deets said.

Among the personnel issues responsible for the increase in legal fees: complaints brought up against the police department and two officers filed with the , the termination of former police officer Luke Feld and a discipline issue with Officer Jeremy Long, according to the city documents.

The legal fees associated with the former city administrator are still unknown. The city has not yet received the bills for those hours, Deets said.