She was just fixing and now I do it. Thank you. Good afternoon and welcome to the uh special commission meeting for October 30th, 2025. I'd like to call this meeting to order. Now, if
we could please stand for the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all. All right. Uh, city manager, the roll call, please. >> Commissioner Clark, >> here. >> Vice Mayor Basquez, >> here. >> Commissioner Sison, >> here. >> Commissioner Dicki, >> here. >> Mayor Doctor >> here. >> Thank you. >> We have one item of business today. It
is for the selection of a city attorney. And uh we'll make this short and sweet and I'm going to open up uh the the floor and I am going to make a motion that we accept the proposal from Voss
Law Firm. I didn't know how what they had in the back. So, um I make a motion. Do we have a second? >> A second. >> Okay, we have a motion and a second. discussion. >> Um I guess I can kick it off.
>> Uh definitely came down for me. It came down to um two um that I felt were both very very qualified um votes. Of course, we spoke um a few months ago >> and definitely um even at that time you
were in the top two and >> um and then I did have uh my interview yesterday um with Susan Martin from um I believe is it Nason >> Nason Joerger. >> Nason Joerger. I wanted to make sure I was saying it correctly.
and after our discussion um her specialties and she would be our main attorney um one she lives in North Readington two um her specialty um being you know P3s um and also uh
which that's a rare one to have in a law firm um I felt and then also with um all of the building and and development that we're going to be doing um with her specials. Um the things that she specializes in and the people in the law
firm that we have availability to. Um and just it it just kind of made sense to me. Um it really did. It it uh with everything we have going on. Um years of experience speaks volumes to me. Um I
believe it was 26 years with the Southwest Water Management. >> South Florida. >> Yeah. South South Florida and um it just with our land you know with the land use and not and I know you have that as well for sure. Um it was more Susan's
specialties that really kind of put it over the edge and that you're hyper local that that meant a lot to me. So that was how I kind of came to that conclusion. Um so I will I think they're
both wonderful. Um, I think we couldn't go wrong with either. But I do want to take one second and say, Gavin, I think you are fabulous. And I think given five years down the road when you've got more, I just I think you're wonderful. And I don't want you to think otherwise.
I really do. I just I wanted to take a second and say that. I think you've done an absolutely excellent job in, you know, filling in the position. So, I just wanted to take a second and thank you for that as well. >> Yeah. Ditto. like to add to that what Tammy said. Uh
the Nason Jagger firm had PD zoning experience, development agreement experience. They've handled nine board members with the the water district. Um they have a land use attorney on staff. Uh Steven and I can't pronounce his last
name. He has experience with tiff districts and CFAs. Um that's that's my choice is Nason Jagger. So, uh, and Gavin, great job taking over Uber from Anthony and, uh, Voss. They definitely meet all the
requirements, but they're just too expensive in my my opinion. >> Uh, go ahead. >> Again, thank you, uh, for all four applying because I felt, uh, I I came away thinking any of the four uh, uh, could do it. and and I'll echo everybody
else's uh thanks and appreciation for the work you've done for us. Uh I felt very comfortable dealing with you, Gavin, and uh certainly do uh look forward to working with you in the future at some point in time, but you uh you certainly were are very
knowledgeable exp uh and the experience is going to help you as you come along. But thank you for what you've done for the city. Uh I I looked at all four of them and again all four qualified. uh Voss is uh is is is the one that stood out for me stood out two ways.
Originally it stood out at uh uh because of their experience uh the large number of accounts they have already accounts meeting other cities and municipalities. Uh so I was leaning towards Voss. I did do a financial analysis. I'm not sure is
it okay for me to share that with others. Uh and this is my estimate. This isn't the official city. This isn't the official city estimate. Uh, and I did a blue sky as well as a as well as a gray sky. And I've got it sorted uh uh
financially from highest to lowest. And again, I know we don't make these decisions based on that, but uh the thing that jumped out at me the most was that uh on this was that Nason Joerger was slightly more expensive than Voss.
uh based on uh the number of hours uh like I said both under blue sky and posttorm hours. So, if you look over to the far right, uh even though Voss is a straight 450, 37,500 a month and it's all inclusive,
uh the Nason Joerger, and by the way, I've heard very good things about Nason Joerger from people that I have a lot of respect for outside of this uh county uh that I that uh referred to. But anyway, so they're very comparable financially to Foss. It was only a rough according
to my estimates which again aren't the official city estimates but according to my estimates were within $16,000 uh of VOS in terms of the uh uh calculated out over a year and what primarily drives it was the hourly rate
their hourly rate was the highest amongst the group. Uh but anyway having said that and I did I was uh super impressed uh with Susan as well. She has an enormous amount of experience. I did like the fact that she uh is does live in this area as well. Uh but she does
not have a specific city attorney experience. She has lots of experience, but uh but being a city attorney wasn't one of that. And I'm sure she could do very well and she would uh she would uh be effective very quickly, but at least
at the get-go, she she hasn't uh done that. And there are, you know, she understands sunshine laws. She understands she's worked with board of commissioners, but it's uh it is different when you're dealing with the a city government. So, uh so anyway, all
good firms, but I think boss stood out and those that's the one I would recommend. Um I had as my top two um Gavin because I think he's done a good really good job. I think he could grow here and Voss. Um,
so I that's where I was at. I mean, I did I probably would have had Nation and Jagger third. I'll be I'll be honest. I was impressed with them, but we I don't mean to be rude, but we went down the environmental path like in the past
>> and and and and I just don't want to go down that road again. And when I heard living seaw wall, I kind of just shut down. So, um, you know, that that's kind of where I was at. So, um, yeah, I mean, those were my top two. So,
>> all right. Um, I'll just say a couple things, then we can, uh, take a vote. Um, uh, we are at a point in time where we are going to be rebuilding the city.
And with that construction, uh, we're going to see, I'm sure we're going to see some lawsuits. and uh and that's really what uh what pushed me their direction. We we know what the uh the finances are. Um and Ardan, thank you
for putting this together, the cost estimate. They're both both very close, Voss and uh Nason Joerger and uh but it says that they're in the the ballpark and I think that uh everybody's very professional and I I like the uh the size of us as well that they have a lot
of attorneys that can handle most things and that's why I think they can do this for 375. Um and so that's really what it was all about. It's uh it's what our future is and uh what we're going to be doing here for the next call it five years. So with
that being said, um does anybody have any other comment? If not, we will if I if I may, the only other thing uh if we go with either uh boss or Nason Jerger, it's going to be about $150,000
a year more than what we have budgeted. So, we are going to have to uh the city manager is going to have to figure out how to how to where to find that $150,000. >> Great. I appreciate that. Thank you. >> Okay. Would you uh please call roll?
>> Commissioner Clark. >> Yes. >> Vice Mayor Bazquez? >> Yes. >> Commissioner Sison? >> No. >> Commissioner Dicki? >> Yes. >> Mayor Doctor? >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> So, that is Thank you and we appreciate it. We appreciate everybody that had
come out and uh Gavin once again thank you for getting us through the to uh to this level and this point. >> I'll still be here through the transition. So >> all right. Thank you very much. And with that we are adjourned.