Finance committee approves hiring Barnes & Barnes as municipal prosecutors

The Finance Committee on July 21 approved hiring the law firm Barnes & Barnes to provide prosecutorial services for the municipal court. Laura Roberts, the court administrator, told the committee she had been working with City Manager Adams and recommended a new prosecutor to “revamp the court” and help accomplish tasks the current prosecutor has not. Roberts presented Barnes & Barnes as the recommended firm so the city will have two attorneys available on each court date. Committee members said the change would be funded through the police budget within the general fund. Councilor Harden moved to approve the hire; Councilor Brandt seconded the motion and the committee voted 3–0 to approve it. Why this matters: The hire formalizes an outside-law-firm arrangement to provide two prosecutors per court date and, according to Roberts, should not increase the city’s current expenditures for prosecutorial services. Discussion and next steps: Roberts said the recommended arrangement may be slightly cheaper than the current arrangement. The committee did not request additional information and approved the hire; the contract will advance to the full council as required by city procedure. Ending: The committee recorded the approval 3–0 and thanked Roberts for the presentation.