Council keeps Gettle Law as legislative attorney after narrow 4–3 vote

The Minot City Council narrowly approved a contract with Gettle Law PLLC to handle the city''s legislative matters after a heated debate and two roll-call votes Monday.

The council first entertained a motion to direct city staff to negotiate a contract with Efforts Law, a candidate the selection committee had ranked second. Alderman Blessum moved that negotiating motion, saying the request for proposals produced a strong alternative. "The simple act of putting it out brought in a pretty good alternative for the city," the alderman said, arguing competition had driven down costs.

Council members pushed for clarity on cost and conflicts. The city finance director provided a cost comparison during the discussion: Efforts Law's proposal totaled roughly $96,000 for the two-year period described in its bid, while Gettle Law's bid equated to about $56,000 under the request-for-proposals schedule. City finance staff presented the monthly breakdowns for both offers during the meeting. The motion to negotiate with Efforts Law failed 3''to''4.

Alderman Olsen, a member of the selection committee that had recommended Gettle Law, moved the alternate motion: to sign a contract with Gettle Law PLLC. Olsen said the committee scored candidates on performance, experience and relationships as well as cost and recommended the firm that best fit the city's needs. "We asked the same questions to both candidates," Olsen said. "The person we felt was the most competent and the best fit for the City of Minot was Mr. Gettle." The council approved the motion 4''to''3.

Opponents cited concerns about potentially foregoing local ties or missing an opportunity to change representation. Alderman Fuller asked why a long-standing provider reduced its bid by half this cycle; the mayor explained Gettle lowered his price after taking on parallel work for the Searce River joint board, allowing him to pass savings back to the city.

Council members also discussed how outside legislative counsel sometimes represents multiple municipal clients and said any actual conflict would be disclosed and handled if specific issues arose. "If there is an individual issue where that conflict would show up, she would disclose that to us, and we would work with her to solve that issue," one council member said.

The council asked the chosen firm to convene meetings with local legislators and council members to strengthen coordination around state priorities.

The vote leaves Gettle Law PLLC as the city's legislative attorney; the council directed staff to finalize and sign the contract under terms discussed in open session.

What happens next: staff will negotiate contract terms with Gettle Law PLLC and return final documents to the council as required.