3. Special City Prosecutor AppointmentsCity of Kalispell
Post Office Box 1997 - Kalispell, Montana 59903-1997 -Telephone (406)758-7700 Fax(406"1758-7758
TO: Mayor Pamela B. Kennedy and Kalispell City Council
FROM: Rich Hickel, Adjutant City Attorney
Chris Kukulski, City Manager
SUBJECT: Request and Motion to Appoint Scott D. Hagel,
Kimberly S. More, and Angela K. Jacobs as Special
City Prosecutors
MEETING DATE: June 16, 2003
BACKGROUND: This is a request by the Office of the City Attorney
to appoint Scott D. Hagel, Kimberly S. More, and Angela K. Jacobs,
all associates with the Kalispell law office of Crowley, Haughey,
Hanson, Toole & Dietrich, P.L.L.P., as Special City Prosecutors.
This will be for a temporary basis during which time they will work
in conjunction with the City Attorney's Office to prosecute
selected cases in Kalispell Municipal Court.
Senior attorneys from the Crowley law firm approached our
Office in April, with a proposal offering to provide their talented
associate attorneys to this office to present misdemeanor criminal
cases for trial in Kalispell Municipal Court, without expense to
the City. The Crowley firm is the largest Montana -based law firm
and is able to attract highly qualified and talented attorneys to
their firm. This experiment was tried with success, in the firm's
primary office in Billings, in an arrangement worked out with the
Yellowstone County Attorney's Office. The arrangement is mutually
beneficial. The associates have the opportunity to obtain valuable
courtroom experience, while the City benefits from freeing up
attorney time to perform duties which would ordinarily take a back
seat to case preparation and presentation. State law (§7-4-4605,
M.C.A.) and the City Code (K.C.C. §2-54 (E)) permit arrangements of
this type. In addition, the Kalispell Chief of Police has endorsed
this generous offer.
RECOMMENDATION: The City Attorney's Office views this arrangement
as a "win -win" proposition for the attorneys and for the City.
This Office likewise appreciates the generosity demonstrated by the
Crowley firm and strongly recommends approval of this request and
Motion.
FISCAL EFFECTS: No adverse fiscal effects are anticipated.
Respectfully submitted,
kfchard -14. Hickel
Adj. City Attorney
Chris Kukulski
City Manager