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applauds what the City is attempting to do. He stated he finds it challenging and if approved, <br />would look forward to working with the City of Ramsey. <br />RATWIK, ROSZAK & MALONEY (Civil Onlv) <br />Describe the backgrounds of the civil and/or prosecuting attorneys who will be assigned to <br />Ramsey. <br />Joe Langel, shareholder with Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney, stated he has practiced municipal law <br />for 17 years, is the city attorney for several cities in Minnesota, the most similar being Lino <br />Lakes. Mr. Langel stated he has represented Lino Lakes for several years, noting it is similar in <br />size to Ramsey with an outer tier with a lot of agricultural area open and development to hope <br />for. Mr. Langel stated they are a municipal only firm or about 99 %, since the firm began 26 <br />years ago. Their firm has 11 attorneys and is growing so it has the depth to handle a City of <br />Ramsey's size without difficulty. Mr. Langel stated they have expertise in municipal law, labor <br />employment, zoning, and general counsel. <br />Eric Quiring stated he has been with this firm for 12 years and represents some municipalities. <br />How will your firm make Ramsey a priority and meet the terms outlined in the RFP for meeting <br />attendance, response time for Council staff inquiries, document review turn - around, and once <br />hours? <br />Mr. Langel stated they would have office hours the first and third Monday for three hours and <br />there would be no problem or conflicts with the Council's meeting days because all of his cities <br />have gone to not having counsel at their Council meetings. He felt office hours were a good idea <br />to keep all up -to -speed and assure efficient use of counsel time. Mr. Langel stated they would <br />look at a flat rate for those hours. He explained that broad retainers are difficult because of <br />exceptions carved out of them. Typically, they use an hourly basis because other cities prefer it <br />that way. Mr. Langel stated if Ramsey wants counsel at Council meetings and office hours, they <br />would use a flat rate at two hours with no travel time and eat the rest of it. In terms of priority, <br />he stated it helps to have 11 attorneys in the office, a deep bench, and they would not have <br />submitted an RFP if they did not think they had the wherewithal to handle the load. Mr. Langel <br />stated they have not responded to other RFPs but believe they can handle the services required <br />by the City of Ramsey. <br />If your firm is not located locally, how do you intend to manage drive time, getting to City Hall <br />on short notice, would officers be required to come to your once or would you come here for <br />compliant processing, etc? <br />Mr. Langel stated the practice has become more electronic over time and even with Lino Lakes, <br />the vast majority of communications are via telephone and e -mail. He stated he does go to Lino <br />Lakes for meetings and it has never been a problem to schedule on short notice. Mr. Langel <br />stated they represent clients Statewide but most times not on site for those client meetings. He <br />stated it would not be a problem to get to the Ramsey City Hall. <br />City Council Work Session / May 7, 2013 <br />Page 13 of 23 <br />