INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Indian River County School Board decided Tuesday night to start the process to find other, possibly local legal representation. The board said it would like to know if there are local law firms that could provide quality service.
“I want to make one thing perfectly clear,” Board Chair Matt McCain said, leading off the discussion, the move to start the request for proposal process is not reflective of the board’s current legal counsel.
Brown, Garganese, Weiss & D’Agresta, P.A., the current firm, is located in Orlando.
McCain said he would like to know if a local firm might be able to handle the School District’s needs and help keep the taxpayers’ money closer to home.
He told his fellow board members that he has been wanting to explore the opportunity since he was elected to the School Board. At that time, the School Board had just hired Brown, Garganese, Weiss & D’Agresta, P.A.
The law firm’s contract with the School Board is up March 31, 2012.
“So, the timing is right now,” McCain said of having staff pull together an RFP.
His fellow board members agreed that they should review their legal options and ultimately supported McCain’s request.
“This has been an issue that has been brought up numerous times by the community,” Board member Claudia Jimenez said.
Jimenez cautioned the board and the public that searching for other legal representation does not mean local would be better.
“We want to support the local community,” she said, adding that the School Board needs to find the best legal representation.
“Please be aware that it’s not just getting the cheapest price,” Jimenez said, but about getting a good price for qualified legal counsel.
School Board member Jeff Pegler suggested the proposal be flexible enough to allow firms apply for specific legal areas.
He said, as it is, one firm handles all legal issues.
The School Board has authority to hire only two officials – the Superintendent and the School Board Attorney.
