12-01-1998 CC RPT 18 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

People Serving PeoFle CITY OF RIVERSIDE CITY COUNCIL MEMORANDUM Kiverside HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: December 1, 1998 ITEM NO: 18 SUBJECT: LEGAL SERVICES BUDGET FOR BROWN & WOOD, WOODRUFF, SPRADLIN & SMART AND THOMPSON COBURN SUPPT,RMENTAL APPROPRIATION Backqround: The Public Utilities Department retains outside legal counsel from time to time to represent the City in extra-jurisdictional legal proceedings and to advise the City on specialized areas of law. Restructuring of the electric industry has greatly increased the City's needs for legal services from the following outside counsel. The law firm of Brown & Wood has provided and is expected to continue to provide the City with tax advice regarding tax exempt bond private use issues associated with the City's new power marketing alliance and with opening the City's borders to electric generation competition. The law offices of Wood ruff, Spradlin & Smart represent the City in its federal court action in California against Deseret Generation and Transmission Cooperative CDeseret") to terminate the Deseret power sales agreement. At present, billings from Woodruff, Spradlin & Smart pass through the billings from the law firm of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene, & MacRae in Utah, which represented the City in Deserers federal court action against the City in Utah. In the event litigation with Deseret proceeds in Utah, further City Council approval will be sought to directly retain and budget for representation by LeBoeuf Lamb. Thompson Coburn, a law firm located in Washington, D.C., represents the City regarding a multitude of electric restructuring and power resources contract issues before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission CFERC"). Funds for such legal services that are provided by these law firms were underbudgeted in the fiscal year 1998-99 Public Utilities Department budget. Therefore, allocations of additional funds for such legal services are needed for this fiscal year as follows: 18-1