The City of Minnetrista is located in Hennepin County.  Growth and development for the City is projected over the next several years based on recent approvals to the City’s Comprehensive Plan that permits the introduction of municipal services for a portion of the community.  The current population is approximately 8,900 and it’s Police Force serves the City of St. Bonifacius with a population of approximately 2,300. 

The City operates under the statutory plan-A form of government consisting of a four-member City Council and a Mayor. The City Council is responsible for adopting the City’s budget and tax levy, adopting resolutions and ordinances, all hiring and firing decisions, policy making, development and growth planning, and overall direction of the City. In addition to providing general government services, the City offers a full range of other services including police services building and other safety inspections, planning and zoning, parks, street maintenance, snow removal, infrastructure maintenance and repair, municipal water and sewer services. and others. The City provides limited municipal water and sewer services that will be expanded in the coming years. For fire services, the City contracts with the City of Mound and the City of St. Bonifacius Fire Department. 

 The services and qualifications that are required by the City for criminal prosecution services covered by a fixed retainer fee include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

1. Prosecution of all petty misdemeanor, misdemeanor and statutorily delegated gross misdemeanor offenses committed within the corporate limits of the City. This includes all such cases initiated by any law enforcement agency and citizen complaints including but not limited to traffic violations, DWI cases, theft and City code violations.
2. Provide advice, consultation and training where required to the City's enforcement staff in the interpretation and enforcement of statutes, ordinances and investigations of violations in connection with the prosecution of criminal cases.
3. Provide consultation, and prosecution where necessary, on zoning code, building code or other nuisance issues.
4. Prepare criminal complaints where facts warrant.
5. Evaluate all cases where a plea of not guilty is entered and prosecute where warranted.
6. Prepare appropriate pre-trial notices as required.
7. Seek such additional investigation as required.
8. Negotiate and enter plea bargains where deemed advisable.
9. Represent the City at all pre-trial motions.
10. Perform all legal research and prepare briefs when required.
11. Try all jury and court cases.
12. Examine, evaluate and provide representation for all appeals to Appellate Courts.

1. Title Page - Show the RFP subject: Provision of Prosecuting Attorney Services, the name of the proposer’s firm, local address, telephone number, name of contact person, and the date.

    

2. General Information

• Provide a brief background history of the firm, and number of attorneys employed. An organizational chart or description of office organization would be helpful.
• Designate the primary contact, and identify those who would be working in more specialized areas. Describe the current principle responsibilities for the individual designated as lead attorney. 
• Include a current resume for each attorney who will be primarily assigned to the City of Minnetrista. This information should include relevant academic training and degrees, description of prior experience in law areas described in the scope of services, number of years with the firm, areas of responsibility with the firm, and other background or experience which may be helpful in evaluating your proposal. 
• Provide information as to how many attorneys are knowledgeable about municipal law and related fields as described in the scope of services.
• Indicate the location of the primary office and attorneys assigned to service this account. Provide the address, phone number(s), cell-phone number(s), e-mail address, and FAX number(s) of the firm.
• Provide information regarding the number of paralegals by their specialties, and the number and position titles of support personnel, specifically those who may be providing services to the City of Minnetrista.
• Provide an assessment of the availability of the City attorney and other professional staff to be assigned to a contract with the City of Minnetrista. This includes availability of back-up attorneys in case of illness, turnover, or other loss of personnel.

3. Police Issues - Demonstrate knowledge of police authority issues. 

4. References - Provide a reference list of three (3) recent (within five years) municipal clients. If municipal clients are not available, other major clients may be submitted.  Particular attention will be given to municipal client references.

All Proposals shall include the following information:

FEES - Identify in your proposal the amount your firm proposes to charge for the following:  Please provide that billing information for a period of at least four years.

RETAINER – Please quote a retainer fee to be charged for prosecution services and the items noted herein that are to be covered by the retainer.  Also state separately the rate for any other cost items proposed to be itemized and billed (i.e. mileage, photocopying, Westlaw, or Lexis fees, overhead factor, etc.).  Clearly note any “retainer” items listed above that your firm will not provide as part of the retainer duties and prefer to bill on an hourly basis.  Please be specific.

HOURLY BILLING – Please quote the dollar amount of fixed and/or hourly fees and costs your firm will charge for providing the legal services to the City of Minnetrista covered by your proposal that fall outside the duties covered by the Retainer.  For the hourly fees portion of your proposal, please identify the hourly rate of each attorney and support personnel.  Identify the minimum increment of time billed for each service, e.g. phone calls, correspondence, and personal conference.