Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Item No: 09H <br />Meeting Date: July 14, 2003 <br />Type of Business: Council Business <br />City of Mounds View Staff Report <br /> <br />To: Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From: James Ericson, Acting City Administrator <br />Item Title/Subject: Consideration of Resolution 6061 Approving an <br />Agreement with the firm Hughes and Costello for <br />Municipal Prosecution Services. <br /> <br />Introduction: <br /> <br />On March 10, 2003, the City Council adopted Resolution 5963 which authorized staff to <br />distribute requests for proposals (RFPs) for legal services. Thirteen firms responded, four of <br />which offered to provide prosecution services to the City. <br /> <br />Discussion: <br /> <br />The following firms submitted proposals to provide the City with prosecution services: <br /> <br />Hughes & Costello <br />Campbell Knutson <br />Knaak & Kantrude <br />Barna Guzy & Steffen <br /> <br />Based on the limited number of replies regarding the prosecution side of the legal services <br />request for proposals, staff reviewed the firms based on cost, experience and reputation. <br />Only Hughes & Costello had any significant experience handling prosecution cases in <br />Ramsey County, which was considered to be an important factor in the consideration. No <br />firm was able to provide as good an agreement as proposed by Hughes & Costello, both in <br />terms of retainer amount and experience. With the support of the Police Department, staff <br />recommended retaining Hughes & Costello for prosecution representation through the end of <br />2005. Chief Sommer and the Mounds View Police Department support the continuing <br />association with Hughes and Costello. <br /> <br />The proposed fee structure is to maintain the current 2003 retainer of $3,875 through the <br />end of 2004 with a slight adjustment to $4,000 through the end of 2005. Mr. Hughes <br />indicated that if the volume of cases he argues decrease as a result of increasing numbers <br />of administrative offenses issued, he would be willing to decrease the retainer amount. <br /> <br />Recommendation: <br /> <br />Approve Resolution 6061, a resolution authorizing the execution of a prosecution service <br />retainer agreement with the firm Hughes and Costello through the end of 2005. <br /> <br /> <br />_____________________________________ <br />James Ericson <br />Interim City Clerk/Administrator