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amount. He stated Mr. Couri mentioned he assumed the City was making a change because it <br />was not getting value. Councilmember Backous stated he does not agree with that assumption <br />because he thinks the City is getting great value from Randall, Goodrich & Haag. However, it <br />was more that he felt Randall, Goodrich & Haag do not have the resources to deal with the items <br />the City is now addressing. <br />Councilmember Riley stated regardless of the firm selected, neither wanted the retainer and both <br />said they would be flexible and that lower hours would equal a lower bill. He stated the Council <br />needs to decide if the City Attorney needs to attend meetings and if the City should get away <br />from a retainer. He noted Mr. Couri said Ramsey would be a top priority client, which is <br />important for him. Also, with the transition, Mr. Couri took ownership of the City and indicated <br />he and his partner would be here to review everything and talk with everyone. Councilmember <br />Riley noted Mr. Langel said they would meet with staff and figure out what is going on. He <br />stated both firms are qualified but he leans towards Couri & Ruppe. <br />Councilmember LeTourneau stated when asked about a successful relationship, Mr. Couri said <br />"trust" three times which is important but Mr. Langel answered it was about measurable <br />outcomes and clear focus. Councilmember LeTourneau stated the RRM firm said they are a <br />specialty firm and concentrate on what they do best. In addition, Mr. Langel talked about <br />communication and expanded it to identify what your expectations are, which he found to be <br />amazing. Councilmember LeTourneau noted Mr. Langel stated RRM is successful because they <br />know expectations and timeliness and outcome, which speaks to process. He stated if RRM was <br />that deliberate in how they do their work, to lay out that type of process, he was impressed and it <br />makes a big difference to him. <br />Councilmember Backous stated to him it comes down to the reasons he wanted to make a <br />change. If going with Mr. Couri, he felt it was going to the same thing, as he does not see a lot <br />of difference. Councilmember Backous stated if the Council supports Mr. Couri, he would not <br />have supported changing from Randall, Goodrich & Haag. He stated both firms are successful <br />but Couri & Ruppe is a small firm, and the Council does not know of their succession plan <br />should one partner retire. With a larger firm, there is a succession plan and other lawyers are <br />coming up. Councilmember Backous stated that is why he does not think it is the right action to <br />go with Couri & Ruppe. <br />Mayor Strommen stated one concern with Couri & Ruppe is their relationship with Nowthen, <br />noting there is already a Joint Powers Agreement between the two and a joint services discussion <br />is occurring. She asked whether there are other issues on the horizon that could come up. <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated the five -city joint service agreement is an issue coming up and <br />long -term there are potential issues with border development/roads. He noted that possibly, very <br />long -term, could be an issue with annexations if Ramsey can provide services. <br />Mayor Strommen asked for staff's perspective. <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated Couri & Ruppe presents a closer relationship with a bigger <br />presence at City Hall, more "boots on the ground," and their experience with land use is good. <br />City Council Work Session / June 4, 2013 <br />Page 10 of 22 <br />