Hard to muster sympathy for this $45,000 fee case

Yes, it’s an astounding number that Chris Coté has cost the city by forcing legal maneuverings. Under most circumstances, a $45,000 fee assessment from the city would be outlandish, but, as with most issues involving the controversial Coté, a seemingly simple matter has evolved into a nightmarish situation.
Coté owes the city $45,000 because he failed to pay a relatively small $200 fine after refusing to take down barbed wire on a fence surrounding his home. That wire, obviously, violated city code. The barbed wire went up after Coté suffered a beating in that home, a beating that may or may not have been related to a housing construction project and payment disputes.
After a lengthy period of admonition and repeated notices, the city took action to compel Coté to remove the barbed wire atop a fence that also exceeded city height standards.
Coté is hardly a stranger to court proceedings, so his understanding of actions taken by the city should be clear.
The city incurred significant legal costs in getting Coté to comply with the laws governing housing standards in Gilroy. The staff time, too, came at considerable cost. Correspondingly, the fee ballooned and now the matter will reach the City Council dais.
The discussion to review the Coté matter has been put off until the Council’s Jan. 9 meeting.
In most situations, this fee assessment would seem unfair, but in Coté’s case it simply seems like a reasonable response to someone who arrogantly refuses to accept the fact that the rules apply to everyone – including him. 
If the Council let the fee stand and aggressively tried to recoup the public funds it has spent to enforce reasonable city laws after waiting patiently for Coté to comply, it would certainly be understandable.
Compassion in this situation should be weighed in context, and that makes it a far tougher decision than it normally would be.