News

By Tim O’Meilia

Elected officials in Ocean Ridge and Manalapan questioned the legal fees they are paying in a dispute over who pays for the Palm Beach County Inspector General’s Office.
While Ocean Ridge is considering reducing the fees or bailing out of the lawsuit, Manalapan took no action to leave the suit.
Ocean Ridge is spending more than three times the legal fees that other coastal communities — including Delray Beach — are paying in the 2-year-old disagreement with Palm Beach County.
 “We’re kicking in far more than our fair share,” said Ocean Ridge Town Commissioner Ed Brookes during a July 31 budget workshop in asking for an explanation.
Fourteen cities claim their residents are being double-taxed if the inspector general’s budget is paid by both Palm Beach County and the cities.
Ocean Ridge commissioners made clear at the Aug. 6 commission meeting that they wanted alternatives to the status quo, either opting out of the suit or assigning the legal dealings to another firm that is handling the suit for numerous cities.
Ocean Ridge has been billed $16,510 by its legal firm, Lewis, Longman & Walker, since the lawsuit over the inspector general was filed in November 2011 through April 2013.
Other South County plaintiffs in the suit — Delray Beach, Gulf Stream, Highland Beach and Manalapan — have paid a combined $17,226, according to each town’s records. Boca Raton’s legal fees could not be estimated by their in-house attorneys.
“On the face, it looks like Ocean Ridge has spent more than anybody,” said Town Attorney Ken Spillias.
In fact, Ocean Ridge is spending more on legal fees in the dispute than all but one of the 14 other municipalities involved, including Palm Beach Gardens. Only West Palm Beach has spent more, according to an analysis by The Palm Beach Post.
“If there’s a concern about that, I would point out the significance of the case,” Spillias said. He noted that Corbett, White & Davis is able to spread out its cost over the five towns it represents. Another firm, Jones Foster, represents three towns in the dispute. Spillias’ firm represents only Ocean Ridge.
Spillias said his firm does not intend to participate when the dispute goes to trial.
“I think we’d be better served going with Corbett, White,” Brookes said.
Ocean Ridge Commissioner Zoanne Hennigan and Vice Mayor Lynn Allison also questioned the costs. Hennigan asked whether the town could still benefit if it dropped out of the lawsuit and the cities won.
Spillias cautioned that withdrawing from the suit, as Wellington did in 2012, would “give the impression that the cities were buckling. It shows there’s a breaking of the will.”
If the town eventually has to pay a share of the Inspector General’s budget, Ocean Ridge would pay between $2,700 to slightly less than $4,000 annually.
“Are we spending a dollar to save a dime?” said Brookes.
Manalapan has paid $5,974 to its law firm, Corbett, White, and Commissioner Howard Roder charged that that the town attorney had promised the town’s involvement would have no cost because West Palm Beach in-house attorneys would be handling the case.
But a transcript of the October 2011 meeting when Manalapan commissioners voted to join the suit shows that then-Mayor Basil Diamond said there would be “minimal cost” in asking Town Attorney Trela White to review the pleadings to make sure the town was protected.
“I was authorized to do exactly what I have done,” White said. She said the fees increased because the inspector general tried to intervene in the case and that part of the case went to appeal, requiring her to examine more filings. The case is likely to go to trial.
Roder, who originally voted to join the suit, urged his fellow commissioners to abandon their involvement in it, especially since town voters supported the creation of the Inspector General’s Office.
 “I’ve learned differently. It is not double taxation. We should get out of this suit,” he said.
No one followed up on his request.