Loveland may cover legal fees for minority council members

LOVELAND — The city of Loveland may end up covering the legal fees of four members of the council who faced investigation for alleged open-meeting violations.

A motion brought by Laura Light-Kovacs to reimburse Andrea Samson, Dana Foley, Patrick McFall and Steve Olson for their legal fees earned a 3-2 vote in favor after the four affected members recused themselves.

Light-Kovacs said in her request to the council that it did not seem fair to her that the four, who were not charged after a legal review by outside counsel, should have to bear the cost of legal protection.

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If they had been charged, Light-Kovacs said, then CIRSA (Colorado Intergovernmental Risk Sharing Agency) would have covered their legal fees. But since they were not charged, CIRSA would not get involved.

“When carrying out our duties, we can be assured of having legal support. … It seems wild to me that they are expected to pay out of their own pockets when charges aren’t filed, but we’d cover those fees if charges had been filed,” she said.

“There has been a cry from the public that it appears the council is quite fractious, and we have difficulty conducting business as a result.” Extending the olive branch would go a long way toward healing the divisions, she said.

Two members of the council, Erin Black and Mayor Jacki Marsh, opposed the motion, with the mayor saying it was premature because the city is still being sued for the alleged meeting violation. 

Others supported Light-Kovacs but wanted language in the motion to indicate that only “unreimbursed fees” be included, and two members wanted to know what the fees would be before approving.

Acting city attorney Vince Junglas said the motion could be structured in a way to add the requested language and to add the exact cost before it would come up for a final vote on second reading.