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Orderville hires local attorney Berkley Hart for town civil counsel
Summary
After reviewing two proposals, the council approved hiring Berkley Hart as town civil attorney with a monthly retainer option; councilmembers emphasized the value of local availability and lower cost compared with other firms.
Orderville’s town council chose a local attorney, Berkley Hart (speaker 9), to serve as the town’s civil counsel following a request-for-proposals process.
Hart introduced himself during the meeting, describing prior work as a deputy county attorney and his local ties. Councilmembers discussed the proposals and noted that outside firms provided hourly rates that would be higher. Hart’s proposal included a monthly retainer (the proposal breakdown described a $150 monthly retainer in his materials) and the candidate indicated flexibility to work hourly if desired. Several councilmembers cited the advantage of a local attorney’s availability for in-person meetings.
After brief questions about billing and local availability, the council moved to approve Hart’s selection; the motion passed by voice vote. Council congratulated the attorney and asked staff to complete the contract paperwork.
Why it matters: choosing local counsel affects the town’s legal costs, timeliness of advice and responsiveness on land-use, contract and personnel matters.
Next steps: staff will finalize the contract and bring back any related paperwork for the record.
