Republic file photo Columbus City Hall.
The Columbus City Council will have its own attorney starting next week when the newly expanded council holds its first meeting.
The Columbus Board of Public Works has approved a one-year, $60,000 contract with Columbus attorney Jeff Rocker, who will serve as the city council’s attorney.
The board of works is required to sign off on city contracts, officials said.
Columbus City Council member Frank Miller said the council decided to hire an attorney largely due to the transition to second-class status.
“Even as a Class 3 city, we could have had our own attorney,” Miller said. “But (with) the move to Class 2 (status), the council is going to have more responsibilities as far as the agenda, running the meetings, budgetarily. So it just seemed like it was the right time to go ahead and make that move to having our own attorney.
Rocker is expected to attend the newly expanded city council’s first meeting on Tuesday, Miller said. The new city council will be sworn in Monday at Columbus City Hall.
The council was expanded from seven to nine seats as part of the city’s decision to move to second-class status. There are now be six city council districts and three at-large seats. Previously, there were five city council districts and two at-large seats.
Additionally, the city council president, who will be chosen during Tuesday’s meeting, will have more responsibilities, including working with the mayor’s office to set the council’s agenda, Miller said. Until now, the mayor’s office had set the council’s agenda.
“We just don’t know what Class 2 (status) brings to the table, so we just wanted to be prepared,” Miller said.
