HomeMy WebLinkAbout#5288 agreement with Davis & Campbell RESOLUTION NO. 5288
A RESOLUTION APPROVING AN ENGAGEMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE
CITY OF CANTON AND DAVIS & CAMPBELL L.L.C.
WHEREAS, the City of Canton (the "City") is in ongoing litigation and/or settlement
discussions with Navistar, Inc. regarding the former International Harvester property located in
Canton, Illinois;
WHEREAS, the City believes it would be in its best interests to finalize pending matters
with Navistar in order to further development within the City;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Agreement for Legal Services for the City of Canton,
approved pursuant to Resolution No. 5240, "[i]n the event certain litigation, arbitration, or other
contested matters arise, which in the discretion of Attorney, would cause a substantial increase in
legal services generally provided herein, the Attorney reserves the right to request reasonable,
additional retainer( s) or fee( s), to be approved by the corporate authorities, prior to representing
the City in relation to said contested matters, and in addition to the General Retainer set forth
herein.";
WHEREAS, the Mayor of the City of Canton has determined that it is necessary and in
the best interests of the City of Canton to enter into an Engagement Agreement with DAVIS &
CAMPBELL L.L.C. to provide certain legal services to the City, as set forth in Exhibit "A"
attached hereto and incorporated herein, and in relation to matters pending with Navistar and
related issues/matters.
NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF CANTON, ILLINOIS, AS FOLLOWS:
1. That the agreement attached hereto and incorporated herein as Exhibit "A" is hereby
approved by the Canton City Council.
2. That the Mayor of the City of Canton, Illinois is hereby authorized and directed to
execute an Agreement substantially in the form as"Exhibit A"on behalf of the City of
Canton.
5. That this Resolution shall be in full force and effect immediately upon its passage by the
City Council of the City of Canton, Illinois and approval by the Mayor thereof.
PASSED by the City Council of the City of Canton, Illinois at a regular meeting this 17th
day of November, 2020 upon a roll call vote as follows:
AYES: Aldermen Andra Chamberlin, Quin Mayhew, John Lovell, Craig West, Angela
Hale, Jeff Fritz, Angela Lingenfelter
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Alderman Justin Nelson
APPROVED:
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401 MAIN STREET
SUITE 1600
PEORIA, ILLINOIS 61602-1241
TEL: (309)673-1681
.AVIS & CAMPBELL L.L.C.C
w. (309) 90
w.dcamplawsaw.com
FILE NO. 32957-014
November 17, 2020
Kent A. McDowell, Mayor
City of Canton
2 N. Main Street
Canton, IL 61520
Dear Mayor McDowell:
I am pleased that you have selected our firm to represent you with respect to matters
involving the clean-up and development of the former International Harvester site and litigation/"
and settlement discussions with Navistar, Inc. (and/or others pertaining to said property). '],'his
letter will provide you with a comprehensive explanation of our business practices and sets forth
the basic terms upon which we render service to our clients.
1. 1'ralessianal Undertaiirxg: The most important point in this letter is that we will do
our utmost to serve you vigorously, effectively and efficiently.
While Robert J.Coletta and I will have primary responsibility for your representation,other
attorneys in the firm, may assist us in this matter. You should feel free to call upon any of them
for advice in the event that I am temporarily unavailable. Occasionally we utilize legal assistants
to perform work which does not require a lawyer's attention. If at any time you have any questions,
concerns or criticisms, please contact me at once.
2. Fees: We take into account many factors in billing for services rendered, and we
will review all statements before they are issued to ensure that the amount is appropriate. The
principal factor is our schedule of hourly rates, and most statements for services are simply the
product of the hours worked multiplied by the hourly rates for the attorneys and legal assistants
who did the work. My current hourly rate is $185.00, the hourly rate for Robert J. Coletta is
$310.00. Hourly rates may range from $165 to $385 for our other attorneys. Legal assistants are
billed at the rate of$105 per hour. The hourly rates are billed on a quarter (.25) hour basis. The
schedule of hourly rates is reconsidered annually with changes effective January 1.
PEORIA,ILLINOIS CHICAGO,ILLINOIS WASHINGTON, D.C.
AVIS & CAMPBELL L.L.C.
3. Costs: Often it is necessary for us to incur expenses for court costs (filing fees,
process server fees, etc.) and for items such as copying costs, postage, telephone tolls and on-line
research services. In order to allocate these expenses fairly and keep billable rates as low as
possible for those matters which do not involve such expenditures, these items are separately
itemized on our statements as"disbursements."
4. Bill ng : Our statements generally will be prepared and mailed during the month
following the month in which services are rendered and costs advanced. We expect payment
shortly after the statement date. Statements consist of the detailed diary entries describing the
nature of the work and identifying the person who performed it,the date on which it was performed
and the amount of time spent. Costs advanced are itemized on each statement.
5. Retainer: We are not asking for a retainer at this time. However,we do reserve the
right to request a retainer in the future, in our discretion, depending upon the status of the litigation
and/or settlement negotiations.
6. !Cornr���unleatlons: We expect to communicate with our clients via email. Emails
and their attachments are not encrypted. Ifyou would like our attachments in a password protected
format, please let me know.
7. Our Files,: You may have copies of our files on the particular matter for which we
are engaged at any time during our representation. After the matter is resolved, we have the right
to dispose of our files at such time as we deem appropriate, with the understanding that copies of
our files will be made available to you, at your expense, while we retain them. We may be
requested from time to time to furnish certain information or to confirm information in our files to
third parties, such as accountants,government agencies and litigants(pursuant to a subpoena). By
engaging us, you are authorizing us to respond to such requests in a reasonable manner. Time
spent responding to such requests will be charged at our regular rates.
8. Termination: You will have the right to terminate our representation at any time.
We will have the same right, subject to an obligation to give you reasonable notice to arrange
alternative representation.
We appreciate having this opportunity to be of service. Recognizing the terms on which
we will provide service to you we ask that you sign the acknowledgment below and return this
letter to me. Be sure to keep a copy for your records. If you or Council have any questions,please
feel free to call me. I look forward to continuing to work with you.
Ver truly yours,
Christopher J. .1Lini_
Davis & Campbell L. -C.
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DAMS & CAMPBELL L.L.C.
Acknowledged:
CITY OF CANTON, ILLINOIS
By;, Date; / ¢
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