7-Legal Counsel - 2021Legal Counsel
Purpose:
The purpose of this program is to provide legal services, including ordinance interpretation, legal opinion, negotiation, litigation, etc., requested by the City Commission, City Manager
or City staff.
Key Objectives:
( The City Attorney is appointed by the City Commission and acts as the legal advisor for the municipality and all of its officers in matters relating to their official duties. The
attorney prepares contracts, bonds, and other instruments in which the City is concerned and endorses on each his approval of the form and correctness thereof. When required to do
so by the City Commission, prosecutes and defends, for and on behalf of the City, complaints, suits and proceedings in which the City is a party. The attorney furnishes the City Commissioners,
City Manager or department heads of the City an opinion on any question of law relating to their respective powers and duties.
Issues, Trends and Highlights:
( New Legal counsel was obtained in December of 2013 and the City chose to hire a firm with one point of contact to handle the legal matters of the City. Legal counsel for pension issues
is funded and included in the pension program expenses. The Pension board retains its own counsel.