Following public comments from people asking Fountain Hills Councilmember Gayle Earle to explain her findings that led her to state the Town of Fountain Hills had potentially overpaid the firm of Pierce Coleman for legal services over an approximately five-year period using a flat rate agreement, Earle released a statement in mid-May.
Earle had presented her results to the town council during a closed executive session in April, following which Pierce Coleman severed its relationship agreement with the Town of Fountain Hills. The firm is continuing on an interim basis until the end of the current fiscal year.
Earle said she issued her statement to “provide transparency on the review of the town’s contract with Pierce Coleman ... following permission to share details in compliance with Arizona’s open meeting law.”