WASHINGTON (AP) - Members of the D.C. Council and about 30 staff members have spent about $61,000 in cellphone bills over the past 16 months because of excessive roaming and data charges.

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The Washington Post (http://wapo.st/yqvsBb) reports D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown recently determined the council was wasting thousands of dollars with such charges.

For most, the bills were between $50 and $75 a month. But some regularly exceeded $100 a month. Council member Muriel Bowser had the highest average bill at about $251 per month and topped $700 in August.

Bowser attributed the charges to international roaming while on vacation. In July, Council member Michael Brown's bill topped $1,000 while he was traveling.

Council Secretary Nyasha Smith has renegotiated the council's contract with AT&T and expects to cut costs by a third.

Information from: http://www.washingtonpost.com