pages: CityCouncil/2005-07-19.pdf, 22
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CityCouncil | 2005-07-19 | 22 | with setting an amount to cover the interim period and bringing the authority to hire outside counsel to the City Council, without limitation on dollar amounts. Vice Mayor Gilmore stated there should not be a special meeting for $3,000 if the City Attorney needs to hire a transactional attorney or if there is a tax question that comes up through the Finance Department. Mayor Johnson concurred with Vice Mayor Gilmore. Vice Mayor Gilmore stated that if a dollar amount were not set, the Council would be involved in a $3,000 decision to hire a tax attorney. Mayor Johnson stated Council could discuss a dollar limit; if the Council had known about hiring Linda Tripoli to give an opinion on vehicle allowance, Council might have paid more attention to the issue; the Council should know who is working for the City, what people are being hired to do and why; that she does not have problem with a limit if the issue is minor. Vice Mayor Gilmore stated that, if the Council wants to know who is being hired, the question comes down to timing; inquired how quickly the Council should be informed after legal counsel is hired; stated there is a proposal for quarterly financial reports on the cost of outside counsel, including who the outside counsel is for each matter. Mayor Johnson stated in a lot of cases the Council could give approval before outside counsel is hired; a lot of the hiring does not need to be immediate; regular Council meetings are twice a month; the City Attorney can hire someone and bring the matter to Council for approval at the next meeting in cases when there is not time; the Council does not want to have special meetings all the time; that she does not like the system that is in place now; the Charter states that the Council consents to the hiring of outside counsel; Council is currently consenting to hiring over $800,000 worth of outside counsel through a line item budget allocation; the Council needs to exercise more oversight Council can discuss the level of consent that should be set; it is a change from what has been done the past 16 years; the Council needs to exercise more oversight than in the past. Vice Mayor Gilmore concurred with Mayor Johnson; stated that she is unclear of how the Mayor proposes to do so; the City Attorney provided a proposal inquired whether the proposal could be reviewed. Regular Meeting Alameda City Council 22 July 19, 2005 | CityCouncil/2005-07-19.pdf |