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Over the past decade, the city’s legal fees have averaged more than $600,000 a year, according to the memo. In 2020 and 2021, however, the fees will increase to $800,000 per year.
The city said the issues related to legal expenses include labor claims, development issues and lawsuits involving the city.
The memo said the city will handle legal issues aggressively, recognizing that early discussions with law enforcement can minimize future problems.
The city surveyed 22 cities for the management of legal services. Only three are practicing in-house lawyers.
The city of Rosemont will hire Storino, Ramello & Durkin for legal services.
According to the memo, the city looked to hire an in-house attorney, but doing so would require support staff and additional costs. The savings were estimated at $50,000 per year, the memo said.
In the end, officials have determined that the city does not have the “reasonable right” to hire an in-house attorney and that “the savings do not outweigh the potential costs to the City.”
However, the city looked to other ways to cut legal expenses. For example, city staff could prepare day-to-day decisions instead of going through outside attorneys, the memo said.
Also, officials said the city could recover legal fees from third parties. For example, the city said developers could recoup some or all of the attorney fees associated with new development. These fees can be included in third-party contracts, according to the memo.
The city council’s finance committee will decide on this issue at its meeting on Monday.
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