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Approving and authorizing the execution of a Ford Master Legal Services Agreements with Kennedy & Graven, Chartered.
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WHEREAS, Section 5.02 of the Charter of the City of Saint Paul provides that in any case of special or unusual circumstances, the City Council, upon the request of the City Attorney may appoint special counsel to assist in providing for the legal business of the City; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul is beginning the process for redevelopment of the Ford Site which is made up of a 122-acre parcel main redevelopment site, and may include the 13-acre Canadian Pacific Railway parcel to the south and a river parcel across Mississippi River Boulevard also owned by Ford; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary for the City to seek legal advice related to redevelopment of the Ford Site in the areas of public finance, including the issuance of bonds and similar debt instruments, land use, and other redevelopment-related legal matters; and
WHEREAS, redevelopment of the Ford Site will take place over several years and therefore there is a need for special legal expertise to be available to the City on a continuing basis as well as on a specific project basis relating to such redevelopment; and
WHEREAS, the provision of legal advice regarding such redevelopment and public finance matters requires very specialized and technical expertise for which the law firm of Kennedy & Graven Chartered is uniquely qualified in terms of expertise, experience, and skill.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that upon request having been made by the City Attorney pursuant to Charter § 5.02, there being special circumstances requiring the services of outside legal counsel to provide legal services to the City, the law firm Kennedy & Graven Chartered is hereby appointed special counsel for said purposes and for the compensation specified in the Ford Master Legal Services Agreement between the City of Saint Paul and said firm, effective August 9, 2018.