City Hall: One Commissioner Objects to Legal Fees. Guess Who?

Commissioner Amanda Fritz found herself in familiar territory this morning when she was the only member of the five-person City Council to vote against the contract extension for Ball Janik, LLP, the go-to law firm that helped the City of Portland negotiate the terms of its PGE Park deal with Merritt Paulson.

That initial contract grew substantially in July 2009 from $100,000 to $225,000. It grew again in February 2010 to $415,000.

This morning, by a 4-1 vote, the contract once again got bigger, this time increasing to $468,816.24. City officials say the Spectator Facilities Fund will cover the increased costs.