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Council signs attestation for downtown vibrancy grant and approves MSK attorneys for TIF work
Summary
The council approved a municipal attestation letter to support Newport Downtown Development’s $25,000 Downtown Vibrancy Grant application and accepted a recommendation to hire MSK attorneys to provide legal support for potential TIF district work.
Newport — The Newport City Council on Sept. 15 signed a municipal attestation required for Newport Downtown Development (NDD) to receive a $25,000 state Downtown Vibrancy Fund grant and voted to accept a recommendation for legal representation to support potential tax increment financing (TIF) work.
Sarah Chadburn, president of Newport Downtown Development, explained the attestation confirms the city will not reduce its usual financial support to NDD because of the state grant. She told council members the city’s municipal support was budgeted at $30,000 for the year and requested the standard attestation letter; the council approved it by voice vote.
TIF legal representation: Brian Gray, NDD’s economic development coordinator, presented the RFP background and recommended hiring MSK (a Burlington law firm identified in the proposal) to advise the city and NDD on real‑estate and public‑private development agreements tied to any potential TIF district. Gray said the pool of firms with deep Vermont TIF experience is small and that MSK submitted the only responsive proposal; he said legal costs will be paid from a Walmart fund initially and could be reimbursed by a future TIF district.
Council discussion: Council members asked about the RFP process, hourly rates and whether other municipal counsel had been considered. Councilors heard that previous outside counsel under contract to the city focused on litigation rather than transactional TIF work and that White and Burke (a retained advisor) had recommended the short list of firms. After discussion, the council voted to accept MSK’s proposal as NDD’s recommended legal counsel for real‑estate and TIF advisory matters.
What to watch: if the city and NDD move forward with a TIF application and a first project, staff said further legal and financial agreements will be brought back to the council for review and approval.
