Ironton Mayor Rich Blankenship said he will obtain a legal opinion about whether one city council member can arrange for services from a union negotiations firm without getting approval from the council or the mayor’s approval beforehand.

At Wednesday’s finance committee meeting, Blankenship showed council an invoice for $164.52 from Cross Management of Portsmouth. He said council member Bob Cleary called Robert Cross three times and discussed city contract negotiations with Cross without first obtaining permission or input from anyone else.

“You hired somebody but you don’t have the authority,” Blankenship told Cleary. “I won’t sign off on it.”

The city is in negotiations with all three unions that represent employees.

“Council didn’t appropriate money to discuss contracts,” Blankenship said after the meeting.

Cleary said Thursday city council members are allowed to make purchases without getting prior approval from the mayor or other council members and simply submit the invoices to the finance director to pay. Cleary said he didn’t think there was a limit on how much money council members could spend without getting prior approval.