From Deseret News archives:
Bluffdale feud burns funds
Residents say they're the real losers in mayor-council suits
Bluffdale has racked up more than $60,000 in legal bills for the City Council to defend itself in a pair of lawsuits filed by Mayor Claudia Anderson. The mayor lost both legal challenges, but residents say they were the real losers.
"We've been trying to get roads paved here in Bluffdale for many years," said Vickie Empey, a Bluffdale resident. "To see this much money spent on something so frivolous and ridiculous it really aggravates a lot of people."
The City Council is preparing to reopen the budget for fiscal year 2006-07 to cover the increased legal costs. When bills from the most recent round of legal action come in, Bluffdale's total legal costs for the fiscal year are expected to exceed $240,000 about $82,000 more than the city budgeted, according to city council members and documents obtained through a Government Records Access and Management Act request.
In a statement read at Tuesday's City Council meeting and mailed to Bluffdale residents this week, Anderson criticized the City Council for using taxpayer funds to pay the legal fees.
"I used my own personal funds (to file the lawsuits)," the mayor said.
Members of the City Council have lashed out at the mayor, too, saying her financial status as the founder of a multimillion-dollar company allows her to run to the courts anytime she doesn't like action taken by the council.
Several residents contacted this week said they don't want to see taxpayer money used on the legal squabbling, but they don't blame members of the City Council for that money being spent.
The first lawsuit Anderson filed against the City Council challenged the September 2005 action in which the council enacted a city-manager form of government by ordinance, stripping the mayor of her administrative powers. The court ruled that the City Council was within its legal right to take such action.
Enough signatures were collected on referendum petitions to restore the previous form of government in January, pending the outcome of a special election on the issue June 26.
Comments
- Oil falls below $79 7:53 a.m.
- Stocks open lower 7:53 a.m.
- Iranian Consulate fatally shot 7:49 a.m.
- AP poll: Family dinner survives 7:47 a.m.
- Palestinian election may be called off 7:45 a.m.
- Balloon boy parents to plead guilty 7:44 a.m.
- Intel to pay AMD $1.25B settlement 7:42 a.m.
- Jobless claims fall to 502K 7:40 a.m.
- Obama to want revised war options 7:39 a.m.
- Will state consider gay rights law? 7:11 a.m.
- SLC council OKs gay rights policies
- BYU football recruit turning heads
- Alta's Ohai is Ms. Soccer 2009
- Prep football: Felt's Facts Week
- 'Love story' of crash victim ends
- Utah Jazz have a problem at point
- Crash kills Utah County man
- 12 Utes return to Texas
- Will state consider gay rights law?
- Long days for BYU interns
- House passes health care bill
288 - SLC council OKs gay rights policies
250 - TCU showdown has big implications
195 - Senators want food tax restored
157 - Cougars crush hapless Cowboys
155 - Utah Jazz fall apart against Kings
131 - TCU 4th in AP poll; U. 16th, Y. 22nd
119 - S.L. vote pending on gay protections
109 - Pratt pleads not guilty to sex charges
101 - Letters: Strange breed in Utah
96
This week, I'm compiling my annual list of restaurants serving...
Get Osama Bin Laden, and get out. It is the mission George Bush promised. ...
Please... don't let your hatred for PETA over take your critical thinking...
I just hope they are smart and build in spectator/audience seating in the...
Whenever there is a PETA story we are given one side. PETA is a extremist...
I hope our country will survive his administration so that someone who loves...
I'm not sure what this is about, but why is there so much antipathy towards...
Have you stopped to think how incredibly cheap gasoline is? It's as cheap as...
Utah not good enough. Boise not gonna lose. Its good for the conference to...
"The sound of the wingnuts whining" thank once again for fine example of...
It took a study to show that those well off are happier than those that are...


You can be the first to comment on this story.