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good at municipal work because it is what they do and it interests them. Mr. Langel stated he <br />went to law school to be a private attorney in municipal work. Their clientele is narrow, <br />municipalities, but what they do for them is pretty broad and encompasses most everything <br />except bond counsel. RRM has twelve attorneys and it is important for Ramsey, as it is no <br />longer a small town, to have a law firm that can handle the breadth of issues that it will face <br />going into the future. RRM also has depth so they can get things done and do that in a timely <br />manner. <br />Mayor Strommen asked Mr. Langel if he had questions for the Council. <br />Mr. Langel stated they have talked about the retainer, what it includes, and explained their idea <br />was to include everything except what was excluded. Office hours are included in the retainer. <br />He felt it would make sense to have the retainer go for a couple of years and then have a <br />discussion of the hours. Mr. Langel stated he does not have a contract with any of his cities, as <br />he did not feel it was necessary because if the relationship is not working the City should be free <br />to part ways. He stated they try to be flexible with their clients and their relationship with clients <br />is important. Mr. Langel stated if the City wants a written contract with a specific retainer <br />amount, they will agree. Or, if the City decides to make a change and reduce things then they <br />will talk about it and come up with a new amount. He stated they are not that hard to get along <br />with. Mr. Langel stated the question is what they can do to be Ramsey's lawyer because his firm <br />will do a great job for the City. He offered to answer questions or provide more information to <br />get their firm to that point. <br />Mayor Strommen thanked Messrs. Langel and Quiring for attending a second round of questions. <br />Mayor Strommen then turned the discussion to the Council for questions and comments. <br />Councilmember LeTourneau stated both firms are competent and good firms and it is a difficult <br />decision. He stated he was originally concerned about the smaller size of the Couri & Ruppe <br />firm but after tonight, he does not have as much of an issue about that. <br />Councilmember Riley stated he sees the world in numbers and one of the differences is what <br />they anticipate for work. He noted the Randall, Goodrich & Haag retainer divide is 336 hours of <br />work and Couri & Ruppe has a higher rate at 421 hours so a similar amount of work is <br />anticipated. The RRM proposal is for 331 hours so they are anticipating less work. <br />Councilmember Riley stated that is the difference and Mr. Couri stated he is anticipating more <br />work than the City has been getting, which may not be doing himself any favors. <br />Councilmember Kuzma stated he likes the demeanor of the Couri & Ruppe firm and got the <br />impression they would back off the retainer, to some degree, if the workload is not as heavy as <br />anticipated. Councilmember Kuzma stated he likes that they are "sticking to their guns" in what <br />it will take and since Ramsey has had issues, that may be part of their judgment call. <br />Councilmember Tossey stated there is courage for the Ramsey Council to consider changing <br />legal firms from the firm the City has had since its incorporation. He stated both finalist firms <br />are awesome and he appreciates Councilmember Riley's comment on the numbers. <br />City Council Work Session / June 4, 2013 <br />Page 8 of 22 <br />