Boulder hires Hayes, Godfrey & Bell for municipal legal services

The Boulder Town Council approved an agreement April 7 to retain the firm Hayes, Godfrey & Bell to provide municipal legal services on an hourly basis.

Mayor Cheryl Cox introduced the single proposal received in response to the town's request for proposals. The firm proposed Jayme Blakesley as the lead attorney assigned to Boulder and offered both retainer and hourly structures; the council approved hourly billing. Council Member Josh Ellis moved for approval and Council Member Lacy Allen seconded. A roll-call vote recorded unanimous approval (Ellis, Karlsson, Veranth, Allen and Mayor Cox voted aye).

Why it matters: the contract establishes an outside counsel arrangement for a remote town that previously relied on ad hoc counsel, setting expectations for cost management and a formal protocol for legal requests. Council Member John Veranth noted outreach to potential bidders and suggested drafting focused questions prior to engaging counsel to manage hourly costs.

What officials said: Mayor Cheryl Cox said the town had directly solicited several attorneys and that the remote location likely limited bids. Council Member Tina Karlsson recommended a protocol directing requests through the mayor to control fees; Council Member John Veranth recommended staff prepare precise questions before counsel is engaged.

Next steps: the council approved the contract and did not direct any immediate additional legal work at the April 7 meeting. Council members discussed preparing procedures for routing requests to the firm and monitoring costs during upcoming budget deliberations.

Provenance: The council considered the single RFP response and approved the agreement during the Administrative Action Items portion of the April 7 meeting.