It's getting more common for people to sue. Officials also are concerned that volunteerism could suffer because residents might hesitate to serve on a board where they could be named in a lawsuit. The suit was waged against the board as a whole but also named the five board members who voted against the development. Although the township covers all attorney and court fees for individual members of the various boards, Macready, who was one of the planning board members named in the MCW suit, said the increase in litigation was reducing the number of residents willing to volunteer for the boards. You have developers who, in order to get their way, will not only sue the township, but also individuals.
Attorney fees grow with a township for a number of reasons.
With more people in the township, more personnel are needed to run it. Having more employees opens up the township to more possible litigation, such as wrongful-termination lawsuits. Also, most developing townships are scurrying to buy available open-space parcels to curb booming growth, which tacks on additional legal fees. In Gloucester County, a handful of townships are hiring attorneys who specialize in redevelopment to ease attempts to revitalize the downtowns. People think we're a big, fat cow ready to be milked, but they have to realize that it's their own money.