Peekskill council approves 2026 professional-services retainers, clarifies budget caps

On Jan. 12 the Peekskill Common Council authorized Resolution J7, approving 2026 professional-services agreements and retainers for several law firms and consultants that advise the city on tax certiorari, tort and insurance defense, prosecution, conflicts and debt services.

City legal staff Eric described the roles: Ira Levy handles tax-certiorari advice and negotiations; Bill Maker handles trial-level work; Hodges Walsh & Burke handles tort and slip-and-fall and some police use-of-force matters; Ingrid O'Sullivan serves as city prosecutor in court matters; Leventhal, Malaney & Blinkoff will serve as conflict counsel when the city attorney's office is conflicted; Munistat provides debt and financing services; and Harris Beach handles tax-foreclosure proceedings and related matters.

City staff discussed budget line caps during the presentation. The manager clarified that some line items are capped at $50,000 (outside counsel line), two lines are capped at $425,000, and Munistat/Harris Beach were combined at $14,100. Hodges Walsh & Burke were noted as likely to incur the highest expense because of the volume of claims they handle.

Resolution J7 carried on the council consent agenda. Council members said they saw no significant rate changes from the prior year and that the proposed retainer structure would allow the city to deploy conflict counsel quickly when needed.