City Council Minutes

Mayor Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. in the Northville City Hall Council Chambers, 215 West Main Street, Northville, Michigan.

Present: Mayor Christopher Johnson, Mayor ProTem Carolann Ayers, Councilmembers Jerome Mittman, and Thomas Swigart

Absent: Councilmember Kevin Hartshorne

Also Present: City Manager Gary Word, Assistant City Manager/Finance Director Nicolette Bateson, and City Clerk Dianne Massa. No citizens were present.

A. Citizen Comments None

Motion Ayers, seconded by Swigart to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously.

The Mayor stated that the selection of interview candidates was based on comments from Councilmembers’ review of the Request for Proposals and input from City staff. The interview candidates are:

Hemming, Polaczyk, Cronin, Smith & Witthoff, P.C. (Tim Cronin)

Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, PLC (Bill Beach)

Fausone, Taylor & Bohn, LLP (Troy Taylor)

O’Connor, DeGrazia, Tamm & O’Connor, P.C. (Jim Tamm)

Plunkett & Cooney, P.C. (Bob Marzano)

City Council reviewed the proposed list of interview questions. Discussion ensued regarding:

The advantages and disadvantages of having general counsel, prosecution, and other areas of expertise in the same firm.

The advantages and disadvantages of large and small firms and concern that a city the size of Northville might be "lost" in a large firm.

Billing practices and billing structures.

Location of law firms and the potential impact to the City.

The likelihood that one person would be designated by the firm as "City Attorney" and assign the workload to partners and associates.

Clarification on the definition of "partner" and "associate."

The importance of having a good comfort level with the City Attorney.

Including "possible selection" of City Attorney on the November 15^th special meeting agenda.

Additions to the interview questions include:

Whether there was anything in the Request for Proposal that the firm does not handle, and how referrals to an appropriate attorney would be managed.

How the firm arrived at the decision to select this person to represent the firm as City Attorney and the procedure to be used to assign the workload.

Description of experience pertaining to tenant and landlord law.

Whether there is a question or something the City Council should know or ask that has not been addressed.

Interview format:

Interviews for each candidate are expected to last 45 minutes to one hour.

City Council will ask a majority of the questions, with the City Manager to ask follow up questions.

Current City Attorney Jim Kohl might be present; however, he will not participate in the interview process.

City staff to be present during the interviews will include the City Manager, Assistant City Manager/Finance Director, and Police Chief.

Word commented on the Plymouth partnership summit being held on November 17^th. Johnson, Mittman, and Swigart plan to attend the summit.

Johnson commented on his attendance at the November 4^th SEMCOG partnership meeting.

Mittman commented on the joint dispatch update provided by the Police Chief. It was noted that two technology issues of concern are related to the Township expansion project. The Township continues to be very responsive to concerns and it is expected that most concerns will not be an issue after January 2005. It was suggested that City Council hold a public forum in early 2005 for a joint dispatch update.

Ayers stated that she received a complaint from a realtor pertaining to one of our police officer’s handling of open house signs.

There being no further business to come before Council, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Dianne Massa
City Clerk