Another meeting and another heated debate over the city attorney’s billing frequency and alleged delays in city work took place Monday night during the Indianola board of aldermen meeting.
Ward 1 Alderman Gary Fratesi expressed frustration over the number of invoices received from City Attorney Derek Hopson, saying that Hopson appears to be billing the city for every claims docket, instead of once per month.
"The contract says we're only billed for 'x,' but we keep getting more than that, even in our packages," Fratesi said. "This is our third bill in three meetings, and our contract states once-a-month billing. We're not following it."
Mayor Ken Featherstone then addressed Hopson directly: "Is there any problem with once-a-month billing, Attorney Hopson?"
"Yes, sir," Hopson replied, prompting Fratesi to retort, "Then you shouldn’t have signed the contract."
Featherstone pressed for clarification, asking "What's the issue?"
Hopson explained, distinguishing between billing statements and invoices.
"The contract states a billing statement—different from an invoice. There's nothing prohibiting us, contractually, from sending an invoice when the work is completed,” he said. “That way, we won’t fall behind. We plan to send one billing statement before the 5th of each month."
He further emphasized his desire for fair treatment:
"I want to be treated just like any other 1099 contractor. We've spent over half a million dollars working with other professionals—contractual professionals—that you just pulled a report on. I want to be treated the same,” Hopson said.
Featherstone linked the current issues to past concerns.
"This is the same thing we requested from Attorney Merchant, right?” he asked.
Seeking resolution, Fratesi responded, "Mayor, if he's just sending invoices, then that’s okay. It may be a misunderstanding because we’ve received three in a row. I’m just saying our process is once-a-month payment."
The exchange between Hopson and Fratesi remained heated but concluded without a formal motion or change to the billing process.
Immediately afterward, the city moved to the claims docket for approval. It was approved.
The motion was made by Ward 4 Alderman Marvin Elder and seconded by Ward 5 Alderman Sam Brock.
The vote was: Ward 1 Alderman Gary Fratesi—Nay; Ward 2 Alderman Darrell Simpson—Nay; Ward 3 Alderman Ruben Woods—Yes; Ward 4 Alderman Marvin Elder—Yes; Ward 5 Alderman Sam Brock—Yes.
The docket included an invoice from the attorney that appears to reflect a charge for attending board meetings.
Invoice #946 for $2,180 from the Hopson Law Group states “Indianola Board Meetings.”
It appears from a review of the attorney’s contract that attendance at regular board meetings is included in the $1,500 monthly retainer.
Before adjourning into executive session, The Enterprise-Tocsin approached Mayor Featherstone about the attorney’s adherence to his contract and whether his compensation is in line with the way the contract reads.
"As far as I know, he is," Featherstone replied.
Featherstone said that the city would look into the contract.
This is not the first time the issue of Hopson billing the city for regular board meetings has come up.
In last Friday’s issue of The E-T, another set of invoices, including Invoice No. 941, dated May 23, 2025, for $1,520, included charges for services on May 13, 2025, for a meeting that occurred on May 12 and extended past midnight, billing 7 hours at $200 per hour—totaling $1,400.
Another invoice, No. 904, included a similar charge for "Attended Board Meeting," totaling $2,400.
By approving the claims docket as it had been presented on Monday night, the city paid Hopson $8,112.50.
