FAIRMONT — The city of Fairmont’s cost for legal services more than doubled in the year since the City Council voted 3-2 on April 22, 2019, to end the employment of City Attorney Elizabeth Bloomquist.

The tab stands at almost $345,000, including only 10 months of billing from the city’s interim civil counsel and the Martin County Attorney’s Office, which is handling the city’s criminal matters.

In 2018, Bloomquist earned a salary of $150,801, which included about $18,000 in vacation and sick leave benefits. Her contract allowed her to continue to draw her salary and benefits for six months after her separation with the city, and her separation agreement allowed for an additional six months of pay at the end of her contract income.

In June 2019, Flaherty & Hood took over civil matters, and the Martin County Attorney began to handle the city’s criminal cases. From that time through March 2020, the last billing available, the city paid Flaherty & Hood $132,154.

The County Attorney’s Office was paid $43,235 from June 2019 until January 2020, when its billing went to an annual contract of $75,000. The monthly rate works out to $6,250, or a total of $18,750 for the first three months of this year. This would make a total of $61,985 paid to the County Attorney from June 2019 through March 2020.

In addition to Bloomquist’s 2018 salary, the city paid an additional $20,687 for outside counsel that year to handle bond matters and other issues requiring specialized expertise. That brings the total cost of legal services in 2018 to $171,480.

The cost of Bloomquist’s one year of additional pay plus the County Attorney’s bills and Flaherty & Hood’s fees from June 2019 through March is $344,941.

Bloomquist’s departure was sparked on April 4, 2019, when Fairmont City Council members Tom Hawkins and Randy Lubenow informed the then-city attorney that they (council) intended to advertise for outside legal services, a move they have claimed would save taxpayer dollars and be less expensive than having an in-house counsel.

At the time, the two councilmen gave Bloomquist notification, no council discussion or action had taken place.

Over the next several days, the council conducted a heated debate of accusations, denials and explanations in a work session and through emails.

On April 22, 2019, after a lengthy closed session that stretched over two hours, the council voted 3-2 to end Bloomquist’s employment. Ruth Cyphers joined Hawkins and Lubenow in the ouster, with Bruce Peters and Wayne Hasek supporting the retention of in-house counsel.