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Staff recommends Wilson-led team as Sheridans city attorney; council to review contract next meeting
Summary
After interviewing two municipal law firms, Sheridan staff recommended the Wilson/Williams/Felman/Dipman team as the citys next outside city attorney. Council voiced consensus and directed staff to draft a contract for consideration at the next council meeting.
Sheridan officials signaled a preference on March 10 for Wilson Williams, Felman & Dipman to serve as the citys outside city attorney and directed staff to draft a contract for council consideration at a future meeting.
Staff told council that interviews with both finalist firms were strong but that the Wilson-led team best matched Sheridans needs. "The staff opinion was that both firms were very qualified and either one could do the job, and it was pretty much a consensus that our preference would be for Jeff Wilson's firm," the city manager reported during the post-interview debrief.
The Wilson team (Betsy Stewart as the proposed primary city attorney, Brandon Dipman as deputy and Jeff Wilson as senior counsel) emphasized local-government experience and a collaborative, team-based approach. Stewart said the firm would provide a primary point of contact and deploy specialists from its roster as needed; Dipman and Wilson highlighted experience with utilities, land use and municipal revenue matters.
Council members asked how the firm would balance multiple municipal clients and how Sheridan would be prioritized. The candidates said they run weekly team meetings, use templates and knowledge-sharing files to speed responses, and would designate a primary attorney to handle day-to-day inquiries while delegating specialized work to experienced associates.
No formal contract vote was taken on March 10; council reached a consensus and asked staff to draft a contract for consideration at an upcoming meeting. The mayor said staff would prepare the contract and present it for council action at a future date.
Why it matters: The city attorney advises council and staff on land use, public safety, open-meetings and other legal matters. Selecting a firm the council and staff trust affects turnaround time on legal questions, the availability of subject-matter expertise and the citys ability to manage risk.
Next steps: Staff will prepare a proposed contract and return it to the council for formal approval at a subsequent meeting.
