Ashwaubenon committee approves contracting village attorney, reorganizes legal support and executive assistant duties

The Village of Ashwaubenon Finance and Personnel Committee on Aug. 19 approved proposed changes to the village’s organizational and functional structure that include contracting municipal legal services, modifying staff roles, and approving revised position descriptions for a deputy clerk 2 and a confidential executive assistant.

Joel, the village manager, told the committee that following the recent resignation of the village attorney the village intends to contract legal services from Town Council on a per‑diem basis rather than immediately hiring an in‑house replacement. Joel said the proposed monthly per diem is about $7,000 and that prosecution in municipal court would be charged on a time-and-materials basis because caseloads vary. He said Town Council would assign a primary point person — Ashley Lahockey — who would work in the village office two days a week and be the main contact, with other firm attorneys available when specialty experience is needed. Joel also said the contract contains a 30‑day termination clause for either party.

Under the revised chart, the village attorney position would transition to contracted services and some former in‑house legal support duties would shift to a confidential executive assistant who would sit in the Village Manager’s office and also support human resources. Joel said the paralegal position would no longer be necessary if legal services are contracted and the deputy clerk 2 would focus on clerk’s office responsibilities. Committee members asked about the ability of the contracted firm to handle growth and day‑to‑day matters; Joel noted the in‑office point person and the contract’s flexibility.

The committee approved the organizational changes and then approved revised position descriptions for deputy clerk 2 and the confidential executive assistant. The deputy clerk 2 position’s legal-assistant duties (issuing subpoenas, filing court documents, recordings) were moved to the confidential executive assistant; that change would not be effective until the new executive assistant is hired. The transcript records motions and seconds and the committee vote carried; the audio does not include a roll-call tally.

Why it matters: Contracting municipal counsel and realigning administrative duties changes how the village will access legal services, alters day‑to‑day staffing responsibilities, and affects recruiting for the newly defined confidential executive assistant role.