Eureka delays awarding city attorney and engineer contracts to widen applicant pool

Eureka — Council members discussed competing proposals for city attorney and engineering services at their Dec. 2 work meeting and agreed to extend both RFP deadlines to mid‑December to allow more applicants and clarify fee structures.

Staff reported the attorney/legal budget is already over budget for the year and members asked firms to confirm hourly rates and whether travel would be billed separately. Patricia (city staff) advised issuing an amended notice to extend the closing date and to notify applicants that existing submissions remain under consideration but the pool will be kept open to invite additional bids.

"You're not obligated to accept any of them," Patricia said, recommending extension to build a larger applicant pool after a short turnaround that included Thanksgiving. Council members discussed the possibility of hiring a part‑time contracted attorney on a flat monthly fee to stabilize budgeting, and staff said they would explore whether firms would accept a contracted or flat fee arrangement.

On engineering services, councilmembers noted Anderson Engineering had an outstanding interest and recommended extending the posting to allow additional proposals and to coordinate selection at a later meeting. Council also discussed budgeting and the possibility of a budget amendment if the city needs to reallocate funds to cover engineering or legal costs.

There was no formal award at the work session; staff were instructed to post amended notices and bring updated proposals and cost estimates for council action at a future meeting.