City officials keeping an eye on legislation that comes before the Missouri General Assembly have hired a lobbyist to keep better tabs on what's being done in Jefferson City. 

The Maryland Heights City Council voted on Thursday to approve an agreement that will hire Jackson & Associates to track legislation that the city has interest in.

Under the agreement, the city will pay the firm a monthly fee of $3,465—or $41,580 per year—and also pay for regular expenses not to exceed $2,500 per year. 

The agreement begins Jan. 1, 2013. What legislation the firm may be tracking is not known at this time.