UPDATED at 3:20 p.m. to change the status of the suit.

ST. LOUIS • Alderman Fred Wessels has filed a lawsuit today against St. Louis City Treasurer Larry Williams, alleging that he broke city policies when he outsourced parking services in 2009.

The company that received the contract, Duncan Solutions, may be liable to pay restitution for entering into an illegal contract, Wessels said.

Neither Duncan nor Williams' office immediately returned calls seeking comment.

Wessels' suit, filed this afternoon by attorney Elkin Kistner, alleges that Williams' contract with Duncan violates a St. Louis ordinance "that requires compliance with rigorous, competitive bidding procedures," according to a statement released today, and didn't get the "legally required" approval of Comptroller Darlene Green.

Williams is up for re-election this year. Wessels is one of four candidates who have declared for the seat. The primary is in August. But Wessels said he's filing the suit as a taxpayer, not as an alderman nor as a candidate, and is paying for it himself and not with campaign money.

He said the lawsuit "is necessary to ensure that the courts have an opportunity to reign in a rogue public official who has deprived the city of St. Louis of many millions of dollars."

More than 70 treasurer employees were laid off when Duncan took over in 2009, Wessels said.

The suit hopes to stop the treasurer from renewing the contract with Duncan.

That process, however, is already in motion - the Parking Commission, Wessels said, approved a 10-year renewal with Duncan last month.