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Court debates expanding Chapman law firm limit for construction counsel; asks for clarified agenda item
Summary
Commissioners discussed increasing the Chapman law firm contract limit by $5,000 for construction-related counsel, debated routing requests through county staff for transparency, and agreed to refile a clarified agenda item showing limits and who may request outside counsel.
The court discussed whether to increase the current Chapman law firm contract limit from $10,000 by an additional $5,000 to permit construction contract review and related legal advice. County staff explained the Chapman firm is board-certified in construction law and sometimes provides detailed line-item invoices for services. Several commissioners said they prefer requests for outside counsel be routed through county staff (Mrs. Tapia) to control spending and provide a single point of contact.
The court did not immediately approve a blanket increase; instead members agreed to bring back a separate, clarified agenda item that would identify a not-to-exceed amount and specify that requests be filtered through the county office for transparency. The clerk and county staff agreed to prepare an amended agenda entry.
