Kerry County Council has paid out €1.8 million so far this year in fees to consultants in the Republic and in the UK.
The consultants were engaged in a wide range of projects, from archaeology to water services. Some of the largest amounts were paid to local firms.
Cllr Paul O'Donoghue (FF), brother of the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, yesterday criticised the high spend by the council on consultant services and claimed a "rip-off" culture by consultants existed.
He said consultants were being engaged when the council's own professional staff were "very capable" of carrying out the work.
The spending has been defended by the council's finance head, Mr John O'Connor, who said the contracts were in accordance with national public procurement guidelines and in major projects the consultants' appointments were approved by the national grant-aiding body, the Department of the Environment.
Cllr O'Donoghue singled out for criticism the "splashing out" of 300,000 to archaeologists when the council had its own archaeological department.
Quantity surveying cost the council over €60,000 for three projects, which included a housing estate and roadworks.
Mr O'Donoghue said the council should have its own quantity surveyor.
Other payments include 9,438 to ecological consultants on a sewage treatment plant, and 13,415.16 was paid to environmental consultants for a feasibility study on the uninhabited Great Blasket Island, which is being mooted as a world heritage site.
A London law firm was paid more than €6,400 for work on the Gortalea road. Consulting engineering firms, however, got the bulk of the money.
Most of the firms engaged were from outside Kerry. The highest two amounts went to local firms.
Eachtra Archaeological Projects in Tralee were paid 222,403.50 for six projects. Malachy Walsh & Partners, consulting engineers in Tralee, were paid 208,136.02 for work on four projects. Galway consulting engineers Ryan Hanley & Company were paid over 200,000 for sewage works, and Cork consulting engineering firm Fehily Timoney & Co were paid €161,303 for various landfill and waste works.
The Glasgow-based Babtie Group Ltd, technical and management consultants, were paid over 113,000 on roads work.
"If there is any truth in rip-off Ireland, it's in [the money paid to] consultants," Mr O' Donoghue said.
The payments were a huge waste, and even if much of the €1.8 million could be recouped from Government, it was still taxpayer's money, he said.