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Hanford council approves $52,000 monthly city‑attorney fee and adopts 5‑year RFP policy for legal services
Summary
After public calls for competitive bids, the council voted to adopt a flat monthly fee of $52,000 for the city's outside municipal law firm through July 2027 and established a policy to run separate RFPs for basic and litigation legal services every five years at contract expiration.
The Hanford City Council voted Tuesday to update the city's legal‑services agreement to a flat monthly fee of $52,000 and to adopt a policy that the city will conduct requests for proposals for legal services every five years, separating basic services and litigation services at the time of contract expiration.
Public speakers urged the council to seek competitive bids. "We ask you to consider carefully the choice that will best serve our citizens," former police captain Chris Jordan told the council during public comment, urging the council to review alternatives.
The city's contracted legal firm defended its record in the meeting. The city attorney noted the firm's institutional knowledge and argued it provides value through continuity and experience: "Because of our knowledge and experience, we're able to effectively address much work that the city provides to us," the attorney said.
Council debate focused on timing. Several members said they preferred waiting until the city hires a permanent city manager and to align any RFP work with budget planning; others said an RFP would be appropriate sooner. The council reached a compromise: approve the contract update now and establish a recurring policy for competitive solicitations at each contract expiration.
The motion to accept the $52,000 monthly fee was approved 4–1. Council also adopted the policy that RFPs for basic and litigation services be run every five years concurrent with the expiration of existing agreements; staff advised that future councils are not legally bound to the policy but the policy provides regularized competition on a multiyear cadence.
Council instructed staff to include a future agenda item reflecting the RFP timeline and to coordinate any solicitation timing with staffing capacity and the city‑manager search process. The current agreement remains in place through July 1, 2027, when the next solicitation window would be scheduled under the newly adopted policy.
