Montgomery County has spent more than $74,000 for a consulting firm to help win federal stimulus funds.
According to documents obtained by The Washington Examiner, the cash-strapped county hired Baker and Daniels Consulting for eight
months at $9,300 a month.
The money is on top of the almost $900,000 the county spends on its intergovernmental relations office.
Patrick Lacefield, a spokesman for County Executive Ike Leggett, said the consulting firm produced significant returns for the county.
The county has been awarded more than $144 million in stimulus funds. Officials said it's in the running for four more grants worth about $90 million.
Officials in Virginia's Fairfax County, similar to Montgomery in size, said they didn't hire any consultants for stimulus funding.