Regular Village Board meetings are typically held at 7:00 p.m., the first three Tuesdays of each month in Council Chambers of Village Hall (room 201), 123 Madison St. When a Regular Meeting falls on a holiday, the meeting typically is held the following night. The Village Board also meets in special sessions from time to time. However, dates and times of Special Meetings can vary and may change.

File #: RES 22-297    Name:
Type: Resolution Status: Passed
In control: President and Board of Trustees
On agenda: 12/5/2022 Final action: 12/5/2022
Title: A Resolution Approving the Engagement of Attorneys/Law Firms for Legal Services to be Performed on Behalf of the Village of Oak Park for the 2023 Fiscal Year
Attachments: 1. Law Firms Resolution 2023

Submitted By                     

Kevin J. Jackson, Village Manager  

 

Reviewed By

A.M. Zayyad

 

Agenda Item Title

Title

A Resolution Approving the Engagement of Attorneys/Law Firms for Legal Services to be Performed on Behalf of the Village of Oak Park for the 2023 Fiscal Year

 

End

Overview

Overview

Since 2012, it has been standard protocol for the Village Manager to bring all engagements for contractual legal services to the Village Board for authorization in the event that through the course of a calendar year the costs of services were to exceed $25,000.

 

Body

Staff Recommendation

Approval of the Resolution authorizing the Village Manager’s engagement of:  Ancel Glink; Clark Baird Smith LLP; Deano & Scarry LLC; Elrod Friedman LLP; Engler, Baasten & Sraga LLC; Franczek P.C.; Hervas, Condon & Bersani, P.C.; Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, Ltd.; Law Office of Joseph P. Buell; Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.;  Moss & Barnett, a professional corporation; Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry, P.C.; Robbins, Salomon & Patt, Ltd.; Robbins, Schwartz, Nicholas, Lifton & Taylor, Ltd.; and Sanford Kahn, Ltd.

 

Fiscal Impact

The fiscal year 2023 budget provides funding for contractual legal services in the General Fund in account no. 1001-41070-101-530667 with an allocation of $185,000.

 

Background

Pursuant to Section 2-5-1 of the Oak Park Village Code, the Village Manager is authorized to employ legal counsel for the various needs of the Village.  The Village Board is further authorized to approve the engagement of independent contractors for the purpose of handling specific legal matters per Section 2-6-1 of the Code which requires all contracts over $25,000 to be authorized by the Village Board.  The request for authorization is being presented in the event that the total cost for hourly services would exceed $25,000 for any individual firm.

 

Alternatives

The Village could elect to eliminate contractually provided legal services.  However, this alternative is not recommended as the diverse nature of municipal services at times necessitates that it is most efficient to engage outside counsel with specific expertise.

 

Previous Board Action

Annually, the Village Board has authorized similar contractual service agreements for legal services.

 

Citizen Advisory Commission Action

N/A

 

Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments

N/A

 

Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities

Due to the nature of legal services, there is no opportunity for shared services in this area.