City's Law Firm to Request Raise

The firm that handles Hopkins' legal services will ask the city to pay a bit more—likely about 10 percent more.

PA has served as Hopkins’ city attorney for more than 60 years. The firm has not increased fees in four years, in part because of the city’s budget challenges, but it feels now is a reasonable time to ask for an increase, said partner Jeremy Steiner.

The city currently pays $132 an hour for handling civil matters and $100 and for criminal cases, including prosecutions for violating city ordinances. Hopkins budgeted $135,000 in legal expenses for 2011—or about 1.3 percent of the city’s expenses, according to budget documents.

“Not that I want to see the rates go up, but the rate is very reasonable compared to the rates in other cities,” City Manager Mike Mornson said.

Council members were generally supportive of the idea—citing the firm’s history with the city and the institutional knowledge that brings as a big plus. They also like the extra effort the attorney who serves as city prosecutor puts in off the books to work with police and the community.

However, both the city and the law firm suggested exploring ways to trim hours that the city uses attorney services. One possibility is no longer asking the city attorney to attend every City Council meeting—instead attending only those likely to have some legal issue arise.

“We’ve had a number of meetings where there really isn’t anything of that (legal nature) on the agenda,” Steiner said. “But then there are times you don’t know.”

Steiner & Curtiss will submit a formal request to Mornson.