Carmel Central board votes to hire Howard Miller as special counsel amid cost concerns

The Carmel Central School District Board of Education voted June 11 to retain Howard Miller, Esq., of the law firm Bond Schonek and King, PLLC, as special counsel to advise the board on a pending matter.

Board members moved the appointment during a special meeting and recorded the proposed hourly rates in the motion: $300 per hour for partners and $250 per hour for associates. An unidentified board member raised objections during discussion, saying the board should pursue “better, more effective, ways of handling the situation at hand that don't involve a very high cost” and that retaining outside counsel may not be necessary.

Despite that objection, the motion passed. The minutes record Trustee Curzio as the opposing vote; other named trustees recorded voting in favor during the roll call portion of the motion. The motion language on the floor was limited to the appointment and hourly rates stated at the time of the vote; no further instructions or an implementation schedule were recorded in the meeting transcript.

The board did not specify who would oversee or monitor the work of special counsel during subsequent proceedings in the recorded discussion, nor did the meeting record a budget line or funding source tied to the legal retainer during this session.

The board adjourned immediately after completing the actions on the agenda.