The City of Madison has drafted a contract to retain attorney William Joseph Jenner as city attorney for the period January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027. Under the agreement, Jenner will handle all regular legal work for the city, including support for the Historic Board, Board of Zoning Appeals, and Plan Commission, for a fixed monthly retainer of $5,000, with litigation billed separately at $250 per hour. The contract lays out reimbursable expenses, the ability to adjust the retainer if workloads change, and a mechanism for engaging additional specialized counsel at the city’s direction, to be paid directly by the city. While the core legal services engagement is spoken for, this framework explicitly anticipates hiring outside bond or specialized counsel, which creates targeted opportunities for firms with municipal finance, complex litigation, or niche regulatory expertise to be considered as supplemental counsel in 2027 and future years.

Contract excludes bond work and other extraordinary services, which would be handled by additional c...