HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 17 AIS Temporary Provision of Additional Legal Services
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 6/17/2019
Meeting Type: Regular Meeting
Staff Contact/Dept.: Mary Bridget Smith/CAO
Staff Phone No: 541-744-4061
Estimated Time: 20 Minutes S P R I N G F I E L D
C I T Y C O U N C I L
Council Goals: Provide Financially
Responsible and Innovative Government Services ITEM TITLE:
TEMPORARY PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL LEGAL SERVICES
ACTION REQUESTED: To direct/not direct the City Attorney to contract with an outside private law firm.
ISSUE STATEMENT: Provide direction about which law firm to direct the City Attorney to contract for
additional legal services during the time period that the City Attorney will also be
acting as City Manager Pro Tem.
ATTACHMENTS:
None.
DISCUSSION/ FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
City Manager, Gino Grimaldi, will retire effective June 28, 2019 and the City
Council is currently recruiting for his replacement, but that person will not be selected until after Mr. Grimaldi’s last day of employment. On May 6, 2019, City
Council appointed City Attorney, Mary Bridget Smith, to serve as City Manager
Pro Tem to perform the functions and duties of the City Manager effective June 28, 2019 until a new City Manager is appointed.
When the Council appointed Mary Bridget Smith, it was aware that in order to ensure that all functions of duties of the City Attorney’s Office are handled in an
effective and timely manner, it will be necessary to contract with an outside private law firm to provide additional legal services. It is estimated that the cost to contract with an outside private law firm will be approximately $4,000-$5,000 per month.
Appointing the City Attorney is a City Council function as per the City Charter. A handful of local law firms have local government clients; Local Government Law
Group represents several small cities throughout the area, Leahy Cox provided City Attorney representation for many years before the City created the current in-house
legal department, and Thorp Purdy is another Springfield law firm that has
represented Willamalane and Springfield School District.