Cost of Shelton inquiry topped $42,000

Updated: August 11, 2012 - 5:17 PM

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The cost of the failed investigation of Scott County Administrator Gary Shelton turns out to be quite a bit higher than most people thought: $42,697.59.

The prevailing impression, that it was more like $10,000, results from a statement made last winter by one of the attorneys involved and does not represent any attempt to mislead, officials say.

It was merely one person's "response to a question as to her costs," Shelton said, and the statement was that they "would exceed $10,000. Everyone just took that number and ran with it in the news stories."

County Board candidate Brent Lawrence has now established through a data request that it ended up at about $15,000 for an investigating attorney, about $20,000 for an outside labor attorney to avoid conflict of interest and about $7,600 for Shelton's own attorney, once the allegations of alleged workplace infractions proved false.

The news will be fodder in Lawrence's challenge against board chairman Tom Wolf as well as other board races this fall.