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Council moves to allow law firm appointment, revises charter thresholds
Summary
The council approved charter amendments that create a department of law allowing appointment of a law firm or corporation counsel model, and raised some contract/settlement thresholds for administrative approval; legal counsel briefed the council on the tiered approach.
The Common Council approved amendments to the Peekskill city charter to create a department of law that permits the city manager, with council consent, to appoint a law firm or individual attorneys to serve as the city's lawyers rather than relying only on a corporation counsel model.
"The primary change relates to, the amendment to allow for the appointment of or for the creation of a department of law instead of a corporation counsel office," legal counsel said during the hearing, explaining the measure's intent to create a tiered approach that could allow either a law firm or a traditional corporation counsel office to serve city legal functions. The law also raises certain thresholds: staff described proposed contract-certification and claims-compromise amounts (examples discussed in the hearing included $20,000 and $10,000 thresholds for some approval actions), which would reduce the number of routine items that require full council action.
Councilors closed the public hearing with no speakers and moved forward with the charter amendments. The measure is intended to give the city flexibility in how it secures legal services and to streamline administrative approvals for smaller contract and settlement actions.
