Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees Meeting Thursday, July 16, 2026 Regular Meeting at 5:00 PM Palmer Lake Town Hall – 28 Valley Crescent, Palmer Lake, Colorado *Live Stream available on Town website* Agenda This agenda is subject to revision 24 hours prior to commencement of the meeting. The Board of Trustees values public comment on issues relevant to Town government. To permit the fair and orderly expression of such comments, the Board will adhere to the following rules for public comment, whether for an agenda item or during public comment for non-agenda items brought by the public. A speaker must be recognized by the Mayor to step to the podium, sign in, use the microphone, state name and address for the record, and address comments solely to the Board, as a whole. Each speaker is limited to 3 minutes, cannot pool time with another, and each speaker may only speak once per topic. Civility and respect is required. Comments should not be directed to Town staff, individual Board members or to public members. Comments or disruption from audience members not recognized by the Mayor are prohibited. Points already made should not be duplicated. Only written comments limited to one page will be permitted. Public members are also invited to submit comments by email to be distributed to the Board separately. Note that comments submitted to the Board are public record. Please understand that the Board will listen and consider public comments; however, members will not discuss or take action on your comment but may refer it to staff and/or a future meeting for discussion. Thank you for your cooperation. Call to Order and Roll Call Pledge of Allegiance Presentations Business Item 1. Discussion, Review, and Possible Action Regarding Responses to the Request for Proposals (RFP) for General Legal Counsel Public Comment Adjourn Page 1 of 7  LYONS GADDIS, P.C. Attorneys & Counselors | Serving Northern Colorado for more than 50 years PROPOSAL FOR GENERAL COUNSEL LEGAL SERVICES Submitted to the Town of Palmer Lake, Colorado Submitted by: James B. Godbold, Counsel Lyons Gaddis, P.C. | 515 Kimbark Street, Second Floor, Longmont, CO 80501 303-776-9900 | jgodbold@lyonsgaddis.com | www.lyonsgaddis.com July 6, 2026 Lyons Gaddis, P.C. | Proposal for General Counsel Services | Town of Palmer Lake | Page 1 Page 2 of 7 July 6, 2026 Glen Smith, Interim Town Administrator Erica N. Romero, Town Clerk Board of Trustees, Town of Palmer Lake Re: Proposal to Serve as General Counsel to the Town of Palmer Lake Dear Mr. Smith, Ms. Romero and Members of the Board: Thank you for the opportunity to be considered as General Counsel to the Town of Palmer Lake. Lyons Gaddis would be pleased to serve in that role. We already have the privilege of assisting the Town as special counsel on its land use and real estate matters, water law and on several other pending matters, and we have seen firsthand the issues the Town is working through. We would welcome the chance to support the Board and staff more broadly and to bring the full depth of our firm to the Town’s work. We want to be candid about one point up front, because we understand it is important to the Board’s decision. With two regular meetings each month, our firm would not be able to commit to having an attorney at every meeting, and particularly not in person at every meeting. What we can offer instead is a flexible and dependable arrangement: a single, responsive point of contact who knows the Town’s matters; participation in meetings when the agenda calls for it, most often remotely; and in-person attendance approximately once each quarter or as specific matters require. In exchange, the Town gains access to a full-service firm of more than 30 attorneys with deep experience in local government, land use, water, employment, litigation, and the other areas a Town routinely needs, without having to retain separate specialists. The balance of this proposal describes our firm, our understanding of the role, the scope of services we would provide, our proposed team and staffing approach, our relevant experience, and our fees. We would be glad to discuss any part of it with the Board. Respectfully submitted, James B. Godbold Lyons Gaddis, P.C. Lyons Gaddis, P.C. | Proposal for General Counsel Services | Town of Palmer Lake | Page 2 Page 3 of 7 1. Executive Summary Lyons Gaddis, P.C. is a full-service Colorado law firm that has served the Northern Front Range for more than 50 years. From offices in Longmont, Louisville, Littleton, and Fort Collins, our attorneys represent municipalities, special districts, school districts, and other governmental entities across the state. We propose to serve as the Town's General Counsel under a flexible engagement that pairs a dedicated primary attorney with the on-call resources of the firm’s local government, real estate and land use, water, employment, and litigation groups. Because our firm already serves the Town as special counsel, we can step into the General Counsel role with immediate some familiarity and less learning-curve cost to the Town. Our proposed hourly rates are $375 for senior attorneys and $300 for junior attorneys, the same rates under which we currently serve the Town. 2. About Lyons Gaddis Lyons Gaddis is a full-service firm of more than 30 attorneys practicing across a broad range of disciplines. For over five decades we have advised businesses, individuals, and public entities throughout Colorado, with a particular focus on the Northern Front Range communities we call home. Our size and breadth mean that whatever issue arises for the Town, we very likely have an attorney who handles that issue every day. Practice areas relevant to the Town • Local Government: board governance, ordinances and resolutions, elections and ballot issues, TABOR, Open Meetings and Open Records, Governmental Immunity, intergovernmental agreements, and general day-to-day municipal counsel. • Real Estate, Land Use and Zoning: annexation, zoning and subdivision, development and construction, leasing, conservation easements, and real property acquisition, including easements and condemnation. • Water Law: water rights, adjudication, and water court litigation, an area of particular strength for the firm and of ongoing importance to the Town. • Employment Law and Litigation: personnel matters, grievances, harassment and hostile-work-environment claims, and related litigation. • Litigation: land use and zoning, real estate, employment, and complex civil litigation, including constitutional claims. • Business, Contracts, and Financing: contract drafting and administration, bond issuances, and lease-purchase and other financing arrangements. Offices: Longmont (principal), Louisville, Littleton, and Fort Collins. Main line: 303-776-9900. 3. Understanding of the Role The Town needs a General Counsel who can advise the Board of Trustees and staff on the full range of matters a Colorado statutory town encounters, provide timely and practical guidance, and coordinate specialized work when it arises. Based on our current work with the Town, we Lyons Gaddis, P.C. | Proposal for General Counsel Services | Town of Palmer Lake | Page 3 Page 4 of 7 understand the Board also values independence, clear communication, and disciplined handling of sensitive personnel, records, and litigation matters. Our approach is built to meet those needs. 4. Scope of General Counsel Services As General Counsel, Lyons Gaddis would provide, among other things: • Legal advice to the Board of Trustees, Planning Commission, and Town staff on governance, procedure, and day-to-day operations. • Drafting and review of ordinances, resolutions, contracts, intergovernmental agreements, and Town policies. • Guidance on the Colorado Open Meetings Law and Open Records Act, including executive session procedure and records responses. • Land use, zoning, subdivision, annexation, and real estate matters, including the Town's ongoing projects. • Employment and personnel counsel, coordinated as appropriate with specialized labor counsel. • Oversight and coordination of litigation and specialized matters, drawing on the firm's practice groups. • Attendance and participation at Board and other meetings as provided in Section 5, and availability to the Town Administrator, Town Clerk, and staff between meetings. 5. Proposed Approach and Meeting Arrangement We want to set clear and honest expectations about meeting attendance. The Town holds two regular meetings each month. Our firm cannot commit to having an attorney present at every meeting, and cannot commit to in-person attendance at every meeting. Rather than promise something we cannot reliably deliver, we propose the following arrangement, which we believe serves the Town well: • A single primary attorney as the Town’s day-to-day General Counsel and point of contact, supported by a small, consistent team so the Town is never without coverage. • Meeting participation as needed, most often by remote/video attendance, focused on meetings and agenda items that call for legal counsel. • In-person attendance approximately once per quarter, or more often as specific matters require. • Prompt availability between meetings to the Administrator and staff, with agreed response-time expectations. • Advance agenda review so we can flag items that need legal attention and determine whether attendance is warranted. If the Board prefers a more traditional arrangement with counsel present in person at every meeting, we would understand if the Board selected a firm better positioned for that model. But if the Board is comfortable with the flexible arrangement above, we are confident it will give the Town responsive, high-quality counsel at a sensible cost. Lyons Gaddis, P.C. | Proposal for General Counsel Services | Town of Palmer Lake | Page 4 Page 5 of 7 6. Proposed Team James B. Godbold would serve as the Town’s primary General Counsel and point of contact. Mr. Godbold already represents the Town on its land use, real estate, and special counsel matters and is familiar with some of the Town’s current issues. He would be supported by the firm’s local government group and by specialists as matters require, including: • Local government team: Adele L. Reester, Catherine A. Tallerico, Chad A. Kupper, John Chmil, Rachel Amspoker and Daniel Davis. • Specialty support: water law, employment and labor, litigation, and real estate/land use attorneys drawn from across the firm as needed. 7. Relevant Experience Our attorneys have represented a range of Colorado governmental entities and have assisted with essentially all aspects of government operations, including: • Board and commission meetings, governance, and procedure. • Elections, ballot language, and TABOR/Bruce Amendment issues. • Open Records and Open Meetings compliance and Governmental Immunity Act matters. • Contract drafting and administration, intergovernmental agreements, and budget matters. • Bond issuances, financing, and lease-purchase agreements. • Real estate acquisitions, easements and condemnation, and related land use issues. • Personnel matters, including grievances and harassment claims, and related litigation. • Water rights adjudication and water court litigation. The firm also currently serves the Town of Palmer Lake as special counsel on its land use and real estate matters and on the pending records and investigation matters. Selecting Lyons Gaddis as General Counsel would provide continuity and avoid the cost and delay of bringing new counsel up to speed. 8. Fees We propose to provide General Counsel services on an hourly basis at the following rates, which are the same rates under which we currently serve the Town as special counsel for matters other than real estate/land use: Timekeeper Hourly Rate Senior attorneys $375 Junior attorneys $300 These rates reflect the capacity and breadth of a full-service firm: the Town gains access to specialized expertise across many practice areas without retaining separate counsel for each. Work would be staffed at the appropriate level, with routine matters handled by junior attorneys where suitable to manage cost. We would bill monthly with detailed statements, and would charge Lyons Gaddis, P.C. | Proposal for General Counsel Services | Town of Palmer Lake | Page 5 Page 6 of 7 only actual out-of-pocket costs (such as recording and filing fees); we do not propose a separate fixed retainer. 9. Independence and Conflicts As current special counsel to the Town, we are already familiar with the Town's active matters and are not aware of any conflict that would prevent us from serving as General Counsel. We will run a full conflicts check upon engagement and will handle any specialized or sensitive matter, in the manner that best protects the Town, including the use of separate counsel within or outside the firm where appropriate. 10. Transition and Next Steps Because we already serve the Town, transition would be simplified as opposed to retaining entirely new counsel. Upon selection, we would confirm the scope and meeting arrangement in an engagement letter and coordinate with staff on agenda review and communication protocols. We would welcome the opportunity to answer the Board's questions and to discuss the meeting arrangement in more detail. Lyons Gaddis, P.C. | Proposal for General Counsel Services | Town of Palmer Lake | Page 6 Page 7 of 7