City Expected to Pay $20,000 More in Attorney Fees as Part of Annexation Legal Battle

JAMESTOWN – The attorney fees the city is paying a law firm to assist with the annexation of a piece of property in Falconer have increased by $20,000.

Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi said Monday night that the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities approved a change order to increase the fees for the Albany-based law firm Bond, Shoeneck, & King from $40,000 to $60,000.

At the start of the year the BPU had committed $40,000 to the law firm, but as of Monday, the price had increased to $45,000 – or $5,000 beyond the original limit. The adjustment to $60,000 should cover the fees for the remainder of the year.

The city is awaiting the Town of Ellicott and Village of Falconer’s vote on the annexation of the BPU’s Dow Street Substation, currently located in Falconer, after the Jamestown City Council Monday night gave it unanimous approval. If either Falconer or Ellicott vote against the annexation – as is expected – the issue will then have to be decided in the state appellate court in Rochester.