Charter commission gets initial lawyer quotes; expects costs to be modest but may exceed $5,000

The Commission reported outreach to several law firms for counsel to assist with charter drafting and review; one firm provided specific hourly rates and commissioners discussed likely budget implications.

Chair (speaker 2) reported that one quote from Brandon Isaacson's firm listed rates "$240 an hour per partner, $200 for an associate, and $125 for a paralegal," which the Commission used to roughly estimate initial costs. Commissioners said a $5,000 budget would likely cover initial research and drafting but recommended contingency planning up to $10,000 if deeper work was required.

Members also discussed procurement rules: the town manager said purchases above $5,000 might require multiple quotes; commissioners asked staff to confirm whether the Commission is subject to the same RFP requirements and whether sole‑sourcing is permissible for specialized legal counsel.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 2276, topfinish SEG 2430