Committee votes to post full-time city attorney position; job description approved with edits

The committee voted to authorize the city to post and fill a full-time city attorney position and approved a revised job description with two changes: make 10 years of municipal legal experience a preferred qualification rather than an absolute minimum, and add explicit license/membership language under certificates and registrations. Committee members discussed cost comparisons with outside counsel, transition planning and whether the current long-serving contract attorney would remain involved. The director of administration and staff presented comparables from other municipalities and said the fully loaded cost for a full-time attorney (salary plus benefits) would likely be below the current annual payments to outside counsel. "We paid his specific firm alone 1,100,000.0," a staff presenter said regarding historical legal fees, and staff noted that the city's 2023 legal-fee records showed $303,000 paid to the incumbent firm of a total $411,000 in legal fees. The committee discussed recruitment challenges and salary comparables. Staff said the municipal average across comparables was about $142,002; the job's current grade tops out near $137,000. Members expressed concern the posted pay might make it difficult to recruit an attorney with a decade of municipal experience and asked that the qualification read as "preferred" rather than strict. The chair and administration said the posting would be a "litmus test" to see who applies and that applications not matching every requirement would still be considered. City Attorney Jesse Weslowski addressed the committee, said he had spoken with the mayor and was "willing to remain as Special counsel" to assist a new hire, and that he and an attorney who handles municipal court matters would continue in roles as needed. The committee approved a motion to fill the position and later approved the job description with the stated edits. Staff said the earliest aggressive start date for a hire could be Jan. 2026; the committee discussed succession planning and inviting aldermen to participate in interviews if desired.