Feb. 9, 2009
Cities Look to Legal Bills to Slash Costs
Some Go it Alone; Others Look for Cheaper Firms   

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In Fontana in San Bernardino County, the city council is considering adopting an ordinance requiring code violators to pay the municipality's attorney's fees in the cases. Several other cities in the state said they already have similar ordinances on the books. Fontana officials said their measure, if approved, would help the city recover between $40,000 to $50,000 annually in money it would no longer have to shell out to lawyers

Jeffrey S. Ballinger, a partner at Best Best & Krieger in Ontario who assists with Fontana's contract city attorney services, said the ordinance would make it easier for the city to try to recover legal fees in court, and would help fill holes in its budget.

"I think all cities are taking a hard look at their budgets and making sure the general public doesn't pay for costs incurred by a few bad actors," Ballinger said.

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