The Edmonds City Council at its Tuesday, April 25 business meeting is scheduled to decide which direction to pursue for future city attorney services — continue contracting with a law firm or hire someone to fill the role as an employee.
During last week’s meeting, councilmembers heard a report from its city attorney assessment subcommittee, which is researching what type of city attorney services the city should have beyond 2023. Councilmember Dave Teitzel asked councilmembers to review the results of the subcommittee’s final project: a survey of nine comparator cities on their city attorney models and expenses. The decision before the council Tuesday night is whether to move forward with issuing an RFP for a contracted outside city attorney — the model the city currently has, with Lighthouse Law Group providing that service — or hiring an in-house attorney.
The council is also set to hear the annual report from South County Fire and Rescue, which provides fire and emergency medical services under contract, and award a construction contract for the 2023 utility replacement project. Shoreline Construction submitted the low responsive bid of $2,638,969.65 for the work, which includes replacing and upgrading existing water lines and sewer lines at various locations around the city.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the council chambers, Public Safety Complex, 250 5th Ave. N. You can watch the meeting remotely via this Zoom meeting link: https://zoom.us/j/95798484261. Or comment by phone: US: +1 253 215 8782 Webinar ID: 957 9848 4261.
Regular council meetings beginning at 7 p.m. are streamed live on the Council Meeting webpage (where you can also find the complete agenda) and via Somcast channel 21 and Ziply channel 39.
It seems to me that for even this come up there is some fiscal savings possible or discomfort with the existing attorney situation. If everything was going good the council would keep/renew the existing attorney. Which is it?
Good question. It’s one of the other I would say too. I hope it’s not the fiscal savings. I like being prudent with fiscal spending but your lawyer should be as good as you can afford. This is one of those TMI for us to know situation I think. It may be because of law suits going on now or something. Its also possible there could be more in the future. I like Jeff myself he seems to be right on everything but obviously there is a reason or this would have been settled long ago. HE knows this city he knows how people ALL people are here and well who are the others? Where do they come from. What is their Ideal etc. Well maybe tomorrow we will hear something. Hum