Oklahoma Co. commissioners hire outside firm for lawsuit

Saturday, April 9th 2005, 12:18 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma County commissioners have hired a prestigious law firm to help defend against a lawsuit filed by their fellow county officers in the state Supreme Court.

Commissioners voted 2-1 Thursday to hire the Crowe and Dunlevy law firm to assist in their defense. The state attorney general's office appointed Cleveland County District Attorney Tim Kuykendall's office to represent commissioners in the matter.

Taxpayers will pick up the $25,000 tab.

County Assessor Leonard Sullivan, Treasurer Butch Freeman, Clerk Carolynn Caudill and Court Clerk Patricia Presley filed the lawsuit, which questions commissioners' authority to create a new office of budget and management.

``In this case, we felt that a law firm which has a great deal of experience in constitutional law would complement the efforts of the Cleveland County District Attorney,'' District 3 Commissioner Stan Inman said.

Sullivan called the move, ``a waste of taxpayer money,'' and said Kuykendall's office does not need help to tell him what state laws say about county government.

Commissioners voted 2-1 in January to disband the county budget board, which is made up of the county's eight elected officials, the board drafts and approves the annual general fund budget. Disbanding the board will give commissioners more control of the county's $53 million general fund.

Inman proposed the new budget office as a way for commissioners to manage the budget. Other elected officials claim the office will take over duties assigned them by state laws.

District 1 Commissioner Jim Roth opposed disbanding the budget board and voted against hiring the outside law firm Thursday.

``With everything we do you have to determine whether there is value returned to the taxpayers. When politics absorb resources, it's hard to find the value,'' Roth said.

Inman said those who filed the lawsuit are responsible for passing the legal costs to taxpayers.