Galloway Cautious About Using In-House Solicitor

The numbers would have to add up for Galloway Township to consider using a solicitor who works exclusively for the township, and to a person, council agreed that meant it would not cost more to use that person than it would to use a local attorney.

The discussion was held at the council’s special meeting on Thursday night, July 12. The township put out request for proposals (RFPs) for qualifications for township solicitor on June 28, after former Solicitor Michael Blee was appointed to the by Gov. Chris Christie.

Those RFPs are due back on Thursday, July 19, but the township wanted to entertain the idea of hiring an “in-house solicitor.” When the meeting was initially announced on Monday, July 9, the township announced it would be interviewing candidates for the position. However, no candidates were interviewed on Thursday.

“I’d like to see the numbers, and how many times Mike Blee had to go to court on his own to represent the township, without a member of the JIF present,” Mayor Don Purdy said.

“I’d like to see the numbers and how much we’d save on tax appeals,” Councilman Jim Gorman said. “If we get the right person, and it looks like it could work, I’d consider it.”

Gorman suggested a five-month trial period, through the end of the year, and reverting back to the old system in January if it didn’t work.

“I think we’d have to give it more than five months,” Purdy said. “We have a lot at stake here.”

Purdy later said it would take two or three years to see how effective the change would be.

Gorman also wondered how many hours a week an “in-house” solicitor would work.

“Would it be 40? 25?” Gorman wondered.

Part of the genesis of the discussion is the high volume of Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests filed last year. For many of the requests, the township consulted Blee. Deputy Mayor Tony Coppola wondered if the right solution was being considered.

“I don’t want to see us resort to a long-term solution to a short-term problem,” Coppola said. “We might get help with the tax delinquencies, but we have a tax attorney. How much would it offset those costs?”
Township Manager Arch Liston said he’s worked in three systems: one in which an outside attorney is used as solicitor; one in which a solicitor is exclusively employed by the township; and in a hybrid system.

“You never really have a full in-house solicitor,” Liston said. “There are some specialties you’re going to have to reach out for.”

Liston cited the study of the five-year average the township conducted, and pointed to the fact that costs were not going down.

“There’s a possibility our next solicitor could see more work,” Liston said. “And every time you picked up the phone to call Mike Blee, it cost you money.”

He also cited the importance of hiring someone who understood all the issues a solicitor has to deal with.

“We need more evaluation and we need to make sure the numbers we’re looking at are accurate,” Coppola concluded.