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Parlier council narrows outside‑counsel authorization after heated debate; votes 4–1 to end attorney services
Summary
At a July 10 special meeting the Parlier City Council amended Resolution No. 2024‑32 to limit outside counsel to consulting and guidance related to the city's agreements with Neil Costanzo and Costanzo & Associates, amid accusations the draft language would illegally delegate attorney duties to the city manager; the council later reported a 4–1 closed‑session vote to terminate city attorney services with Costanzo & Associates.
PARLIER, Calif. — The Parlier City Council spent a special July 10 meeting arguing over language that would give outside counsel authority to perform city‑attorney functions, then amended the measure to limit the firm’s role and later reported a 4–1 closed‑session vote to terminate city attorney services with Costanzo and Associates.
The council opened by placing Resolution No. 2024‑32 on the agenda, a staff‑recommended measure that would expressly authorize legal services under a framework agreement for outside counsel. Public commenters and several council members sharply questioned the timing and wording of the draft, citing an ongoing trial and a reported $4,000,000 exposure to the city.
An attorney advising the council told members the resolution’s phrasing was vague and risked creating an illegal delegation of the council’s authority to contract and appropriate money. “If you adopt that resolution as is, you will be…
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