PRESENTER: Presenter
Nathan Brown, City Attorney’s Office
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SUBJECT: Title
Approval of a contract with Denton Navarro Rodriguez Bernal Santee & Zech, P.C., the approval of Justin Plescha as contract municipal prosecutor and the appropriate budget amendment
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DEPARTMENT: City Attorney’s Office
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COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The City has a full-time municipal court Prosecutor/Assistant City Attorney who handles all cases in addition to open records and ordinance training responsibilities. Due to the number of vacancies within the City Attorney’s Office, the City Attorney’s Office needs the full-time prosecutor to handle other attorney duties and it will be necessary for the City to contract for assistance with municipal court prosecutions. This attorney will be a contract prosecutor and not a full-time or part-time employee. They will be utilized on an as-needed basis to help ensure that the City Attorney’s Office can continue to provide the legal services that the City needs. These are professional services requiring a higher level of knowledge and therefore are competitively exempt. Selection is solely based on qualifications and knowledge.
In order to meet the legal needs of the municipal court and city staff, the City Attorney’s Office is recommending hiring Denton Navarro Rodriguez Bernal Santee & Zech, P.C., for these contract legal services to provide prosecutorial assistance. Mr. Justin Plescha has previously served as interim prosecutor and assistant city attorney with another firm while the City’s full-time attorney was out on extended leave and received high praise from the court and other staff members who interacted with him. He is efficient, well respected and is familiar with the City’s processes and staff’s needs.
To support this engagement, the following budget amendment is recommended for City Council consideration
City Attorney’s Office
Operating Expenditures (Increase): $40,000
ISSUE:
Additional prosecutorial services are needed for Municipal Court. The City Charter delegates the hiring of attorneys to the City Attorney with final approval resting with the City Council.
STRATEGIC PLAN REFERENCE:
☐Economic Mobility ☐Enhanced Connectivity ☐Community Identity
☒Organizational Excellence ☐Community Well-Being ☐N/A
Maintenance of efficient, effective, and high-quality services.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact for this agreement is estimated not to exceed $40,000, depending on the actual number of hours worked.
Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION:
The City Attorney’s Office recommends approval of this law firm for prosecutorial legal services and the appropriate 2026 Budget Amendment. The General Fund has sufficient reserves to support this budget amendment.