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Wasilla council approves sole-source negotiations for city attorney contract with evaluation clause
Summary
The Wasilla City Council authorized the purchasing officer to enter sole-source contract negotiations with the firm named in the AM for city attorney services and directed an annual evaluation be added to the contract; council debated RFP versus sole-source and the risks of turnover and contract terms.
The Wasilla City Council on March 24 approved AM 25-14 authorizing the purchasing officer to enter contract negotiations with Birch Horton, Bittner and Sherrod under the municipal sole-source contracting provision for general legal counsel services, with an added annual evaluation process.
The motion, moved by Council Member Rubio and seconded by Council Member Cottle, follows council discussion of two options presented by administration: (1) sole-source negotiations with a specified firm under Wasilla Municipal Code contracting provisions, or (2) issue a request-for-proposals (RFP) and award the contract following evaluation and ranking.
Why it matters: The city hires outside counsel to serve as its general legal advisor. Council members argued the choice affects institutional knowledge, continuity and budgeting. Several members said frequent turnover after multi-year contracts had previously required repeated learning curves; others expressed concern about competitive procurement and pricing transparency.
Discussion highlights: Council Member Matt Graham and others questioned the rationale for sole-source selection and asked about term length and how price changes would be handled year to year. Finance Director Cassie Olin and the administration explained RFP-based contracts are commonly three years with optional extensions; sole-source negotiations would be subject to negotiated term and council approval when the resulting contract is presented. Council Member Holly Rubio said she favored sole source to preserve continuity and to require an evaluation clause so the Council retains the ability to end the relationship if performance is unsatisfactory. City Attorney Holly Wells confirmed that any negotiated contract would return to council for approval and that the council can end the contract if performance fails to meet expectations.
Outcome: The council voted to authorize sole-source contract negotiations and to add a formal evaluation process; the motion passed by voice vote with no recorded objection.
What’s next: Administration will negotiate contract terms, including any multi-year term, rates and the evaluation mechanism, and will present the final contract to council for approval under the municipal contracting code.
