Costa Mesa spent 350% more on lawyers in fiscal 2011-12 than it did the year before, records show.
The city, however, remained under what it had budgeted for litigation costs, according to preliminary numbers reviewed this week.
Costa Mesa spent about $1.6 million last fiscal year on litigation — work directly related to legal cases, such as lawsuits — which is under the roughly $2 million the city had set aside for such purposes.
The amount is a three-fold increase from its average over the previous five years.
"The city is going through much needed structural change, and there are those with financial interests who disagree, and their lawsuits are driving our court costs through the roof," said Mayor Eric Bever. "Clearly, legal costs will fluctuate from year to year, but it would be my expectation that they will fall dramatically once the current labor issue is resolved."