14 - CITY ATTORNEY SERVICES FOR PEDCItem No. 14
memorandum
TO: City Council
John Godwin, City Manager
FROM: Richard Manning, PEDC Chair
SUBJECT: CITY ATTORNEY SERVICES FOR PEDC
DATE: July 17, 2015
BACKGROUND: The Bylaws of the Paris Economic Development Corporation and the City
Charter, state that the city attorney will serve as the legal advisor to the PEDC Board. However,
during the 2014 Defenbaugh forensic investigation of PEDC, the City Attorney asked to be
removed as the legal advisor to the PEDC Board due to a possible conflict of interest.
STATUS OF ISSUE: The Defenbaugh forensic investigation has been complete for some time
now, and copies of the Defenbaugh Final Report have been distributed and reviewed by the City
Council, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and has been made available to the
general public. We do not anticipate any further legal action related to the Defenbaugh
investigation, but if legal action does arise, we will continue to work with our outside legal
counsel from Richardson who has advised us during the last year on the Defenbaugh
investigation related matters.
At this time the PEDC is requesting that the city attorney return to the PEDC as their legal
advisor on new PEDC business going forward.
BUDGET: N/A
RECOMMENDATION: Move to allow the city attorney to represent the PEDC as the board's
legal advisor.