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Council splits on outside-counsel appointment; moves to formalize municipal attorney role

5053365 · June 17, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

A late request to appoint outside counsel in litigation failed; the council debated and moved to formalize Tom Egan’s role as municipal attorney and discussed terms for that appointment.

The council debated two separate legal staffing items on June 17: a late resolution to hire outside counsel for pending litigation and a proposal to appoint Tom Egan to a municipal attorney role with full-time hours and a discussed salary.

Outside counsel resolution fails: Administration presented a late resolution to appoint outside counsel (Mark Tabakan of the Weiner Law Group) to defend the city in a pending lawsuit. After roll-call voting the motion failed (vote recorded on the floor as 3 yes, 3 no, 1 absent). Several council members said the administration should provide more options and return with alternatives; council directed staff to pursue other counsel or to re-present the item at the next meeting.

Municipal attorney appointment discussed: Councilmembers debated a motion to appoint Tom Egan as municipal attorney on a full-time basis and discussed an employment figure (a motion on the floor proposed $190,000 annual compensation and a 35-hour week). Egan indicated his willingness to accept terms and the council indicated formal action would follow; members asked to finalize contractual details and any employment agreement in closed session or in a follow-up session and to document any MOU.

How council framed it: Supporters said a stable in-house municipal attorney would save money versus recurring outside counsel and provide faster turnaround for city needs. Critics urged detailed terms and asked that any change be accompanied by a formal employment contract and clarity on hours, benefits and transitional arrangements.

Next steps: Council directed administration and legal staff to draft a formal employment agreement and to present it for ratification; administration to return with alternatives for outside litigation counsel that got a failed vote on the late resolution.