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Legal fees mount for utility district
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As the court battle between West Warren-Viola Utility District and the Jarrell family of Coffee County rages on, attorney fees continue to rise. According to documents provided by the family, the total fees for both parties are now over $200,000.The utility district has been court ordered to pay its legal fees of $93,000, and also the legal fees of the Jarrell family, which total $108,000.The longstanding conflict began in November 2011 when West Warren-Viola received a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant intended for a $3.7 million water project that included a 1-million-gallon holding tank. The project was intended to improve the water supply to Morrison School and to encourage future expansion at Mountain View Industrial Park.The site chosen for the water tank was a 5.75-acre portion of the Jarrell family property, a six-generation family farm located near Manchester atop Flat Mountain.