"The council saved the city hundreds of thousands of dollars," Councilwoman Connie Boardman said of Huntington Beach's decision. "Costa Mesa has spent about $800,000 defending its outsourcing decision."
Costa Mesa council members in support of its approach have said the employee union is to blame for the legal fees because it sued to block the layoffs.
The council met to vote on its budget, and although residents anticipated a discussion on the outsourcing during a later agenda item, many were surprised when Mayor Don Hansen, who pushed for outsourcing, asked the city manager for the outsourcing analysis and findings.
"This is inappropriate," shouted former Mayor Debbie Cook, when Hansen began the discussion, saying that his move was a violation of the state's open-meetings law.
"Our charter wasn't written for your benefit; it was written for the benefit of the citizens of this city," Cook said during the public comment portion of the meeting. "The voters want an elected attorney who has the strength of character to tell you what you need to hear. You want an appointed attorney who will tell you what you want to hear."
Although the council's staff presented a balanced $294.7-million budget, excluding any potential savings from outsourcing McGrath's office, Hansen said the discussion was part of identifying savings and passing the budget.
The council voted in July to look into outsourcing McGrath's office after Hansen said it would help define cost-saving measures.
City Manager Fred Wilson said 12 firms offered their services. Best Best & Krieger was picked for offering to represent the city for $1.6 million for the first year, he said.
