Township tables approval of legal fees

Thursday, August 25, 2005

By CARLA SMITH
ThisWeek Staff Writer

The Prairie Township Board of Trustees tabled the approval of $120,000 in appropriations for legal fees.

Tracy Hatmaker, township administrator, told the board at its Aug. 17 meeting that the township has already gone through 90 percent of the $150,000 budgeted for legal fees this year.

"I am asking for guidance on this issue," Hatmaker said. "The township will need an additional $80,000 to $120,000 in appropriations."

The board tabled the issue until another meeting after Trustee Doug Stormont said he was against it and Trustee Joe Wharton said he was for it. Trustee Teresa Keller was not present at the meeting.

The board did, however, approve a letter to be sent to the Franklin County Budget Commission for the approval of appropriations totaling $42,868 that would come from the contracted services fund to support infrastructure improvements. The money would then be split into three special funds. The letter also requested that the township be allowed to increase its general fund appropriations by $300,000.

The appropriation request comes a few weeks after the township was denied collection of 1.6 inside mills by the Franklin County Budget Commission. At the time of the hearing Franklin County Auditor Joe Testa and Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien were highly critical of the township spending so much money on legal fees when it could make more use of the prosecutors office.

Had it been granted the collection of inside millage, it would have generated approximately $440,225 annually for the township, offsetting losses in the general fund.

Resident Neil Distelhorst said going back to the budget commission is not a good idea given what happened earlier this month.

"I am well aware that both Testa and O'Brien were highly critical about legal fees," Distelhorst said. "I think if you go down there and ask them for more appropriations you can expect two very hot board members."

Distelhorst said he assumed the township had plenty of money for legal fees and pointed out to trustees that $24,000 of the $150,000 allotted for it this year has disappeared into another fund called "other."

Hatmaker said that $24,000 taken away from the fund earlier this year was used for playground equipment for some of the township parks.

"We moved the money to pay for parks equipment which wasn't a part of the budgeting process," Hatmaker said.

Two-thirds of the $300,000 general fund appropriation request is earmarked for an unexpected estate tax reimbursement, Hatmaker said. It is also being used for other unexpected expenses such as the Big Darby Accord, engineering fees and the cost of dealing with New Rome.

Hatmaker said that when it comes to funding legal counsel, the township still needs to maintain a law director as required by a limited home rule township.

Trustee Doug Stormont told Hatmaker up front that he has a problem with appropriating that much money for legal fees.

"I won't approve it," he said.

Wharton wouldn't discuss the matter further but only said he would approve the $120,000 requested.

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