The investigation into leaks from a Feb. 3 closed city council meeting could cost Dunwoody residents twice as much as the $25,000 already reported, according to records obtained by The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Billing statements from Bob Wilson, the attorney heading the investigation, show the city has paid $25,186 for services from mid-February through the end of March. But Councilwoman Adrian Bonser, one of two people accused of leaking the information, said the probe will likely end up costing the city closer to $50,000.
Wilson released a 40-page report May 17 naming Bonser and City Attorney Brian Anderson as responsible for leaking details of the executive session, in which a local newspaper reported the council had discussed selling a 16-acre tract of land known as PVC Park.
The city council is scheduled to vote Tuesday evening on whether to fire Anderson, who has been on paid suspension since May 14.
Discussions from the closed session contained in the report reveal that the city was contemplating selling portions of the park property to a developer who wants to build single-family homes and town homes on the site. The sale would be part of a complex land deal in which the city would buy other property with the proceeds.
Anderson, who has served as city attorney since the city was founded four years ago, has argued that the closed meeting was improper because state law does not provide for discussing the sale of property behind closed doors.
Bonser issued a statement late last week stating that the investigation was politically motivated and that Wilson's report was riddled with inaccuracies. She also said residents should take note of what is going on behind closed doors in their city.
"Many in Dunwoody are watching what we are doing and are becoming disenchanted with how we are conducting city business," she stated. "All of us on the council are grown-ups, each with different life experiences and skills. We should have been able to talk to one another and work this out without drama and $50,000 expense."
Mayor Mike Davis, who led the call for the investigation, has said this is not the first case of information leaked from closed sessions. The law specifically allows for closed discussions, chiefly as a means of protecting the public, he said.
Wilson, a former DeKalb County District Attorney, said the closed meeting was proper because the sale and purchase of property were intertwined. He also pointed out that Anderson raised no objections about the content of discussions while the meeting was in progress.
Tuesday's City Council meeting is at 7 p.m. at Dunwoody City Hall.
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