FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Legal fees in the city’s general fund rose sharply this year, leading to a proposed increase in the 2012 budget of almost twice the current amount.

As of June, attorney’s fees were $382,572, an increase of 43 percent over the current year’s budget of $265,840, according to the most recent financial information.

That increase does not include legal costs for the months remaining in the current fiscal year: July, August and September. The figure also does not include legal fees for the city’s three public utilities, nor for lawsuit settlement or judgment amounts.

Following two days of budget hearings last week, Finance Director Rose Fogarty reported Friday to the budget committee that a proposed FY 2012 budget for legal fees of $420,000 had been increased to $500,000 as requested.

City meetings about the budget resume Aug. 15, when the Financial Advisory Committee will review the legal fees proposal, as well as some dozen other topics.

Other FAC agenda items include the following: a possible employee pay raise; overtime policy; capital spending; garbage and trash removal; utility transfer policy; hiring of new employees; community development policy and proposed fee waivers; rainy day fund status and forecast, including policy regarding funding goals; possible cut in flower expense; and a self-insured health option for employees.

Several additional finance meetings are scheduled before the City Council is expected to adopt the budget prior to the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1.

The issue of skyrocketing legal fees received extensive coverage last year in an award-winning series in The Fairhope Courier, describing how past policies in Fairhope made it difficult to obtain information about attorney’s fees and lawsuit costs.

The special called FAC meeting will occur at 4:45 p.m., Aug. 15, in the Delchamps Room of the Fairhope Municipal Complex.