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Council reviews revised engagement letter with GreyRobinson; clarifies travel and billing terms
Summary
Councilmembers reviewed edits to an engagement letter with law firm GreyRobinson, agreeing on hourly billing increments, preapproval rules for travel and expense reimbursements and virtual-appearance language; staff will return a final draft for the July meeting consent agenda.
The Milton City Council reviewed a revised engagement letter with the law firm GreyRobinson and discussed three edits the council requested: hourly billing increments, expense and travel reimbursement preapproval, and virtual appearance rules for attorneys not based in the Pensacola office.
Councilwoman Farrow described changes agreed with firm representatives: the contract now specifies that attorneys will record billable time in tenths of an hour; travel and lodging for attorneys in other offices will require written preapproval by the council; and attorneys located outside the Pensacola office may appear virtually at city meetings. The revised language also bars reimbursement for travel, lodging and meals without preapproval and ties allowable travel expenses to the city’s travel policy (the staff suggested changing a referenced ordinance to “policy” to match existing practice).
Why it matters: The engagement letter governs the city’s legal representation and billing practices. Council members sought tighter expense controls and clarity about when in-person attendance will be reimbursed to limit unexpected costs.
Council members and the city attorney’s liaison discussed practicalities: preapprovals could delay in-person counsel appearances, but the firm indicated it expects virtual appearances to be common and would be available by phone when necessary. Staff recommended referencing the city travel policy rather than an ordinance and will incorporate the requested language changes. If the council approves the final draft, the item will be placed on the July meeting consent agenda per staff comments.
No formal vote was taken at the work session; staff will circulate the amended agreement for review and return it for council consideration at the July meeting.
