Agenda - Council Work Session - 06/24/2025

Home

2. 2. CC Work Session Meeting Date: 06/24/2025 Primary Strategic Plan Initiative: Not Applicable Information Title: Consider Request for Proposals - Civil Legal Services Purpose/Background: In 2021, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for civil legal services. Following the evaluation process, the City Council selected the firm Holstad & Knaak, PLC and entered into a two-year agreement commencing on November 1, 2021. On October 24, 2023, the City Council approved the renewal of the Civil Legal Services agreement with Holstad & Knaak, PLC for an additional two-year term, beginning November 1, 2023, and expiring October 31, 2025. City Code Sec. 2-275 - Purchasing alternatives, addresses professional service contracts via a request for proposal (RFP). Within that, it generally states that the city conduct a RFP for legal services every three years. A clause is present that would allow the City Council, at its discretion, to formally extend a current contract upon the recommendation of city staff. Time Frame/Observations/Alternatives: The current civil attorney legal services contract, attached, identifies a 60-day notice period should the City Council desire to terminate the contract without cause or not renew. The timeframe to conduct an RFP, hold interviews and ultimately select a final firm would span approximately two and a half months. A tentative timeline would be as follows: • July 9 - City Council Authorize advertisement for RFP • August 1 - Submittal deadline for proposals • August 15th - Complete proposal evaluations • August 26 or September 9 - City Council interviews (may need a special work session to conduct interviews) • September 23 - City Council formal approval of firm • November 1 - Contract begins in correlation to the expiration of the current contract This would not preclude current City Attorney, Fritz Knaak, from submitting a proposal. Funding Source: This process would be handled as part of normal staff duties. Legal fees incurred by the city are paid both through the city's budget and developer reimbursements. Recommendation: Staff recommend an RFP process. Outcome/Action: