REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: VILLAGE ATTORNEY SERVICES VILLAGE PROSECUTOR SERVICES Village of East Troy, WI The Village of East Troy invites interested legal firms or private practice attorneys to submit written proposals to provide contract legal services and/or prosecutorial services to the Village. Firms or attorneys may submit proposals to provide Village Attorney services, Village Prosecutor services, or both. The successful firm(s) must be able to provide a designated individual to serve as Village Attorney and/or Village Prosecutor. General Information: The Village of East Troy ( Village ) is a municipal corporation having an estimated population of 4,343. The Village is governed by a Village Board comprised of a President and six Trustees. Three Department Heads including the Administrator Clerk/Treasurer, Chief of Police and Director of Public Works report directly to the Board. Village services include general government, police protection, municipal court, public works, parks and recreation, library, airport, wastewater treatment and water utilities. Fire and rescue services are provided by the East Troy Emergency Services District, which is a separate entity. Other contracted services include, but are not limited to, property assessment, zoning administration/planning, engineering, building inspection, airport manager, and auditor. The Village Board meets the first and third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Meetings will be held the fourth Monday only as necessary. Special meetings may be called on an as needed basis. Zoning Board of Appeals and standing committees are held on an as needed basis at other times during the month. Municipal Court is held the first and third Wednesday of each month. Proposal Deadline: Proposals are due Monday, November 13, 2017, at 4:00 p.m. Questions and submittals should be to the attention of: Eileen Suhm, Administrator 2015 Energy Drive, 262 684 5482 esuhm@easttroywi.gov Village Attorney Scope of Services: The Village Attorney serves as chief legal advisor for the Village. The work may include, but not be limited to the following: 1. Serve as the legal advisor to the President, Village Board, and all departments of Village government. Represent the Village in legal matters as required. When requested by authorized personnel, the attorney shall give written legal opinions or render oral advice on a wide variety of issues.
Page 2 of 5 2. Function as legal advisor to various Village committees, boards and commissions as required. Attendance is expected at all meetings of the Village Board unless a decision is made attendance is not necessary at a specific meeting. Attendance is not expected at other committee, board or commission meetings unless specifically requested. 3. Draft or review ordinances, resolutions, bonds, contracts, development agreements and other instruments as may be required by Village officials. 4. Represent the Village as needed concerning court actions, handling matters on the Village s behalf before state administrative commissions, preparations of pleadings and briefs, trial of court cases, preparation of legal opinions and handling real estate transactions brought before the Village. 5. Apprise Village officials as needed about changing laws and other legal matters that may be of interest and/or concern to the Village. This includes conducting training sessions for members of boards, committees, commissions and staff as requested. 6. Conduct other legal matters as determined by the Village (may include labor/personnel, TIF, economic development, land use, real estate, etc.) 7. Provide the President and Village Board with guidance as to Robert s Rules of Order and related procedural matters at Village Board meetings. This includes knowledge of open meetings laws and advising the Village Board and staff to ensure compliance. 8. Provide advice to staff on public records requests on an as needed basis. 9. Exclusions and Reservations a. Bond counsel is not to be included as part of this request for proposal. b. The Village reserves the right to employ any legal counsel when there is a conflict of interest or if any attorney with special expertise in a given area is needed (i.e. labor and personnel or development matters). A determination as to when this should occur shall be at the discretion of the Village Board or Administrator. Village Prosecutor Scope of Services: The Village Prosecutor is a professional, specialized position serving as prosecutor before the Village of East Troy Municipal Court and, on occasion, Circuit Court. The Village averages approximately 110 court cases per month. 1. Prosecute local ordinance cases before the municipal court and circuit court including the conducting of pre trial conferences as necessary, as well as any jury trials and handle appeals from such decisions. 2. Answer correspondence and telephone inquiries regarding Municipal Court matters, including inquiries from Village personnel, defendants, victims and witnesses. Qualifications: The Village of East Troy expects that, at a minimum, the firm must meet the following requirements: 1. Be licensed to provide legal services in the State of Wisconsin. Each attorney of the proposed team to provide legal services must be a member in good standing of the State Bar of Wisconsin.
Page 3 of 5 2. Effectively demonstrate experience with municipal law and/or prosecuting of a similar size and scope of services being requested. 3. Assign the Village a Wisconsin licensed attorney who has a minimum of five years experience in municipal representation. The Village of East Troy prefers firms for municipal attorney services that meet the following requirements: 1. An attorney or attorneys can be identified within the firm that would serve as backup to the attorney primarily assigned to the Village. 2. Attorney will provide a 24/7 phone number where legal assistance is available in the event of an emergency. Response Contents: At a minimum, the proposal should include the following information: 1. Profile and history of the firm accompanied by the number of attorneys employed. An organizational chart or description of firm organization would be helpful. 2. Profile, relevant academic training, history and related experience, specifically municipal law and/or prosecution, of any attorneys that will be team members providing services to the Village. The primary attorney proposed to be assigned to the Village should be identified. 3. Provide assessment of the availability of the attorney and other professional staff to be assigned to a contract with the Village of East Troy. This will include the availability of any backup attorneys assigned in the absence of the primary attorney. 4. Provide confirmation that neither your firm or any individual attorneys who will be performing work for the Village have any violations, or other marks or limitations on their attorney licenses or ability to practice law. 5. Provide explanation of how the workload of the Village would be accommodated and what kind of priority it would be given. Be sure to consider items outlined in the scope of services section in this explanation. Identify the type of work or services that may be assigned to another attorney, either within or outside of the firm, or support personnel. 6. A listing of prior or current municipal government clients including the name and telephone number of the client contact. This list should identify length of service and a general description of the scope of services. 7. Current fee schedule. Indicate whether the fee schedule varies for different types of legal work or by attorney. 8. The fee proposal shall clearly state if the fee schedule is based on a flat retainer fee, a combination retainer/hourly arrangement, or only on an hourly basis. Please describe the parameters and charges with specific attention given to the scope of services that would be included and excluded from the retainer. If an hourly fee applies, please indicate if the Village will be charged the hourly rate for travel time and estimate what that fee would be for each trip to the Village.
Page 4 of 5 9. The fee schedule shall clearly indicate any additional fees that will be charged to the Village (i.e. postage, photocopying, mileage charges, etc.). 10. Describe insurance coverage: carrier, limits, and exemption. Proposal Submittal Format: For proposals to be considered, one (1) original hard copy shall be provided accompanied by one electronic copy. The following outline represents the desired submittal format: 1. Title Page The first page shall be the title page. The proposer should identify the name of the firm, address, telephone number, name and title of contact person along with a phone number and e mail address, and date of submission. 2. Response Immediately following the title page shall begin the following sections: a. Table of Contents Provide clear identification of the material by section and page number. b. Letter of Transmittal (limited to one page) Should be brief and introductory in nature. c. Mandatory Proposal Requirements As outlined under the section titled Response Contents. Please list any exceptions to these requirements. i. Required background information ii. Municipal client references iii. Proposed fees iv. Insurance Evaluation Process: Proposals submitted will be evaluated by a committee consisting of the Village Administrator, Chief of Police and Director of Public Works, who will decide which firms will be invited to interview. The committee will interview selected firms and recommend a maximum of three firms to present to the Village Board and respond to any questions they may have. Selection for firm to interview will be based on the following standards: 1. Responsiveness of the written proposal to the criteria outlined. 2. Accessibility of the individual or firm. 3. Experience and qualifications of the individual or firm in municipal law and/or prosecutor services and related to the scope of services. 4. Proven success in managing an array of municipal matters in a thorough and timely manner. 5. Municipal client references. 6. Other references. 7. Rate schedule and estimate of fees (While cost is always important it will not be the most important selection criteria.) Tentative Schedule: This schedule is tentative and changes may be made to the timetable if necessary. October 24, 2017 Proposal distributed and posted November 13, 2017 Proposals Due by 4:00 p.m. November 17 27, 2017 Firms selected and interviews scheduled with selected firms December 4 8, 2017 Committee interviews with selected attorneys/firms December 18, 2017 Board presentations by selected firms and possible decision by Board January 8, 2017 Decision by Board if not made on December 18
Page 5 of 5 Submission Terms and Conditions: 1. The Village reserves the right to reject any and all responses, to waive informalities, and has the right, at its sole discretion, to accept the submittal it considers most favorable to the Village s interests. 2. The Village reserves the right to request clarification of the information submitted and to request additional information. 3. All costs associated with the preparation of a submission in response to this request shall be the responsibility of the attorney/firm submitting. 4. All submittals shall become the property of the Village. No public opening of proposals will be held.