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Longtime Lake Placid town attorney announces retirement after four decades
Summary
Town attorney Bert Harris told the council he will step down after roughly 40 years of service, offering a planned transition and urging the council to "stay the course" on the town's comprehensive plan and utility strategy.
Bert Harris, Lake Placid’s town attorney, announced at the Nov. 10 council meeting that he has tendered his resignation after roughly 40 years advising the town.
Harris said his resignation will be effective "at the mayor’s pleasure" to allow time for a transition. He described the work as “the honor of my life” and highlighted the town’s financial position, saying Lake Placid still maintains the lowest municipal tax rate in Highlands County and a utility department with no debt. “Stay the course on the plan,” he said, urging continuity on the comprehensive and growth-management plans he helped implement.
Mayor Holbrook and members of the council thanked Harris for his service. The mayor said the town will begin recruiting replacement counsel promptly and that Harris will remain available during the transition.
Harris’s remarks thanked long-serving volunteers and staff and described the town’s planning and utility structure as strengths. He said the regional utility and comprehensive plan will enable the town to manage growth “in a way that will make our citizens happy.”
The council did not take formal action beyond public thanks; staff said a search for successor counsel will begin immediately and a handoff plan will be developed in coming weeks.
