PREPARED BY: SARAH MAROOF DATE OF MEETING: 07/20/26
SUBJECT:
TITLE
CONSIDER ADOPTING RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE A SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE JULY 1, 2025, LEGAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH JARVIS FAY, LLP, INCREASING MAXIMUM COMPENSATION BY $155,000 TO COVER FISCAL YEARS 2026-27 AND 2027-28, FOR A NOT-TO-EXCEED AMOUNT OF $255,000
CEQA: This proposed action is not a project as defined by CEQA.
Label
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Adopt Resolution
Body
Compliance statements
The execution of this Legal Services Agreement amendment is necessary for the ongoing operations of the City, and helps support several Major Policy Goals identified in the FY 2025-27 City Council Priority Workplan, including: “Build a Healthy Community,” “Enhance Community Resilience,” “Expand Housing Options,” and “Focus on Economic Development and Fiscal Diversification.”
BACKGROUND
Jarvis Fay LLP has been providing legal services to the City since 2015 and is very familiar and knowledgeable about municipal law in general, as well as operations, projects, and issues specific to the City. Since early 2023, Jarvis Fay LLP has provided expanded legal assistance including with the Housing Element Update process, staffing the Planning Commission on behalf of the City Attorney, and providing legal services in connection with other discrete municipal law projects. The City Attorney, City Manager and Community Development staff have been pleased with the legal support provided by Jarvis Fay LLP and plan to continue these services into the coming Fiscal Years 2026-27 and 2027-28.
The City entered into its current Legal Services Agreement with Jarvis Fay LLP, effective July 1, 2025, in an amount not to exceed $50,000, with funding coming from City Attorney’s Department professional services budgeted funds (Account 100-1210-43600), for the provision of on-call general municipal legal services, including more particularly in the areas of Planning and Development, Pitchess motions, and weapons confiscation matters.
Due to the increased need for legal assistance with issues related to specific construction projects, the Jarvis Fay contract amount was augmented by $50,000 by First Amendment effective April 15, 2026, to cover those construction-related issues.
At this time, the City Attorney requests that the City Council authorize a Second Amendment to the City’s existing Legal Services Agreement with the firm to add up to an additional $155,000 in compensation for on-call legal services in Fiscal Years 2026-27 and 2027-28, for a new total contract amount not to exceed $255,000.
FISCAL IMPACT
The original Legal Services Agreement effective July 1, 2025, in the amount of $50,000 was applied to the City Attorney Professional Services Budget Account Number 100-1210-43600 for Fiscal Year 2025-26.
The First Amendment effective April 15, 2026 and authorized by City Council Resolution 2026-044 increased the not-to-exceed amount by $50,000, for a not-to-exceed amount of $100,000 under the contract as amended, for specific construction-related legal services applied to Public Works Project Account 320-0104-43605-GFD-422. These construction-related legal services are billed separately and tracked in the Public Works Project Account.
The proposed Second Amendment will increase total compensation under the Agreement as amended by $155,000 to cover on-call legal services over the term of the newly approved biennial budget for Fiscal Years 2026-27 and 2027-28, for a new total not-to-exceed amount of the contract as amended of $255,000. The $155,000 authorized by this Second Amendment is a currently budgeted line item in the City Attorney’s Office Professional Services Budget Account Number 100-1210-43600, with $75,000 budgeted in Fiscal Year 2026-27 and $80,000 budgeted in Fiscal Year 2027-28. No budget increase is needed to fund this contract amendment.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1. Resolution 2026-###
Att 2. Proposed Second Amendment to Legal Services Agreement with Jarvis Fay, LLP
Att 3. 1st Amendment to Legal Services Agreement with Jarvis Fay, LLP, effective 4/15/26
Att 4. Legal Services Agreement with Jarvis Fay, LLP, effective 7/1/25