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Atlantic Beach council to have town manager negotiate contract with Kirkman, Whitford firm for town attorney role
Summary
After interviewing three law firms, the Atlantic Beach Town Council on March 19 reached consensus for the town manager to negotiate contract terms with Kirkman, Whitford, Brady, Berryman & Gordon, P.A. to serve as town attorney; the contract will be brought to the April regular meeting for approval.
The Atlantic Beach Town Council reached consensus at a March 19 work session for the town manager to negotiate contract terms with Kirkman, Whitford, Brady, Berryman & Gordon, P.A. to serve as the town's attorney, the council recorded. The contract is to be presented for council approval at the April regular meeting.
The action follows Derek Taylor's announcement that he will no longer represent the town after April 29, 2024 because he is taking a full-time position with the Town of Morehead City. Councilmembers reviewed proposals from three firms that responded to a Request for Proposals released by staff.
The firms and representatives listed for interviews were Kirkman, Whitford, Brady, Berryman & Gordon, P.A. (Jane Gordon), Mewborn & DeSelms (Tim Wilson and Sharon Griffin) and Sumrell Sugg, P.A. (James "Trey" Ferguson). The timeline printed in the minutes scheduled those interviews at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. during the session.
The minutes record that, "based on the Whitford firm's local history" the council's consensus was to have the town manager negotiate with that firm. The minutes do not record a formal vote on that specific contract authorization; they record a council consensus and instruct the town manager to return a negotiated contract for a future decision.
At the start of the session, Councilmember Renea Baker moved to approve the meeting agenda; Mayor Pro Tem Austin Waters seconded. The council voted unanimously, 4-0, to approve the agenda. Later, Mayor Pro Tem Waters moved to excuse Councilmember Joseph Starling due to work commitments; Councilmember Harry Archer seconded and the council voted unanimously, 4-0, to excuse Starling for the meeting.
Council also noted that the town will determine an attorney for the Board of Adjustment depending on the selection of the town attorney; no separate action on that appointment was taken during the March 19 session.
The work session was called to order at 9:00 a.m. and adjourned at 12:13 p.m. The minutes record that they were approved at the council's March 24, 2024 regular meeting.
