Kemah Mayor: Attorney Fees Billed to City for Personal Legal Issue Were “An Isolated Oversight" Kemah Mayor Robin Collins on Thursday (12/4/2025) stated that when the city attorney’s law firm included billing for a personal legal matter on a bill sent to the city, it was an oversight by the law firm. The firm refunded the money, as confirmed by city officials. City Attorney Kyle Dickson, who works for the law firm Murray Lobb, filed a deed for personal property Collins sold. Collins, who has been mayor since 2023, said that Dickson’s firm inadvertently billed the city for work in May 2024 as part of its $11,000 legal services invoice. No one at City Hall realized the invoice included non-city business, which resulted in a $133.10 charge for personal legal services Dickson provided to Collins. Murray Lobb’s legal bills to the city average between $11,000 and $23,000 a month, according to a cursory review of checks issued by the city in 2024 and 2025. The city’s check register is posted online each month. Almost 19 months after the invoice was paid, the improper billing was only recently discovered when someone not affiliated with the city requested the city’s legal bills as part of an open records request. Collins, who is up for re-election in May, issued written and video statements, stating that Murray Lobb would refund the money. City Administrator Cesar Garcia confirmed that the refund was issued by check on Thursday. “There was no intent to mislead or defraud anyone; this was simply an isolated oversight within a larger billing statement, and all parties acted quickly to correct it,” Collins said in the statement. “To anyone who felt troubled or negatively affected by this administrative mistake, I want to express my sincere sympathy. There was no malicious intent, and no action taken by the city or me was meant to cross personal and public matters.” She asked why the city attorney was handling personal legal business for her, explaining that she had asked Dickson for advice, and he offered to help. While the city attorney, Dickson, is not a city employee because he works as an attorney for the contracted law firm Murray Lobb, he has a similar arrangement with the City of Texas City. In addition to serving as a city attorney, Dickson continues to handle private legal matters for clients on behalf of his firm. He is also an elected official as a Trustee for the College of the Mainland. Although not required, many law firms that contract with government entities have agreements that prohibit their attorneys from doing personal legal work for an elected official or government staff. Such provisions are applied to avoid even an impression of a conflict of interest. It’s unconfirmed if such a provision is included in the Murray Lobb contract with the City of Kemah.

Posted by i45NOW TJ Aulds at 2025-12-04 22:48:09 UTC