01-123 Resolution No. 01-123
RESOLUTION
AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF AN AGREEMENT WITH
STEVEN NEMEROVSKI AND LAWRENCE SUFFREDIN, JR.
FOR LOBBYISTS SERVICES
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ELGIN,
ILLINOIS, that Joyce A. Parker, City Manager, and Dolonna Mecum,
City Clerk, be and are hereby authorized and directed to execute
an agreement on behalf of the City of Elgin with Steven
Nemerovski and Lawrence Suffredin, Jr. to provide professional
services in connection with State and Federal Government
Legislative Efforts, a copy of which is attached hereto and made
a part hereof by reference .
s/ Ed Schock
Ed Schock, Mayor
Presented: May 9, 2001
Adopted: May 9, 2001
Omnibus Vote : Yeas 6 Nays : 0
Attest :
s/ Dolonna Mecum
Dolonna Mecum, City Clerk
RAGREE/LOBBYIST
Draft 3/01/01
AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT, made and entered into this f day of
2001, by and between the CITY OF ELGIN, an Illinois
muni ipal corporation (hereinafter referred to as "CITY" ) and
STEV N NEMEROVSKI and LAWRENCE SUFFREDIN, JR. (hereinafter
referred to as "LOBBYISTS" ) .
WHEREAS, the CITY desires to engage the LOBBYISTS to
furnish certain professional services in connection with State
and Federal Government Legislative Efforts; and
WHEREAS, the LOBBYISTS represent that they are in
compliance with the applicable statutes relating to the
registration and qualifications of lobbyists and that they
have the necessary expertise and experience to furnish such
services upon the terms and conditions set forth hereinbelow.
NOW, THEREFORE, it is hereby agreed by and between the
CITY and the LOBBYISTS that the CITY does hereby retain the
LOBBYISTS for and in consideration of the mutual promises and
covenants contained herein, the sufficiency of which is hereby
acknowledged, to act for and represent the City in the matters
described herein and subject to the following terms and
conditions and stipulations, to-wit :
1. SCOPE OF SERVICES
The LOBBYISTS shall perform the following services G+ ai.-r kl to
C1tl Y'1rH4�tlr VV\
A. Assist the CITY in developing a legislative
agenda for the State and Federal Government;
B. Assist the CITY in participating in all State
programs that are of benefit to the CITY;
C. Arrange meetings necessary to accomplish A and
B with all elected or appointed State officials;
D. Assist in preparing all written materials
necessary to accomplish A and B; and
E. Prepare testimony for all appropriate hearings
necessary to accomplish A and B .
F. Attend City Council meetings, as well as all
other necessary meetings as determined by CITYAi.A
2 . PAYMENTS TO THE LOBBYISTS
For the services provided by the LOBBYISTS pursuant to
this Agreement the LOBBYISTS shall be paid a total fee in
the amount of Twenty-Four Thousand and no/100ths Dollars
f
($24 , 000) which shall also include all ordinary expenses,
including all in-state travel . The LOBBYISTS shall also
be responsible for all costs associated with the first
two (2) out-of-state trips . The CITY shall also be
responsible for all reasonable extraordinary expenses
including out-of-state travel after the first two out of
state trips provided however, the CITY must approve any
such travel or extraordinary expenses prior to the
expenditure being made . The $24 , 000 fee shall be paid to
the LOBBYISTS in twelve (12) equal monthly installments .
3 . TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT
Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, either party
may terminate this Agreement at any time upon thirty (30)
days prior written notice to either party. In the event
that this Agreement is so terminated, the $25, 000 fee to
be paid to the LOBBYISTS shall be prorated to reflect the
reduced term of the agreement .
4 . TERM //'' 5"Au- 'AC ��cT ON) T*� UknTerc or- r� rs,cEc.onao
Okm e`1 AV- P W Tt" OR 1WE 1 % ZGo% A,i D
This agreement shall be in effect for one year from the
date of its execution unless terminated pursuant to
Section 3 or 5 .
5 . BREACH OF CONTRACT
If either party violates or breaches any term of this
Agreement, such violation or breach shall be deemed to
constitute a default, and the other party has the right
to seek such administrative, contractual or legal
remedies as may be suitable to the violation or breach;
and, in addition, if either party, by reason of any
default, fails within fifteen (15) days after notice
thereof by the other party to comply with the conditions
of the Agreement, the other party may terminate this
Agreement .
6 . NO PERSONAL LIABILITY
No official, director, officer, agent or employee of the
CITY shall be charged personally or held contractually
liable under any term or provision of this Agreement or
because of their execution, approval or attempted
execution of this Agreement .
7 . MODIFICATION OR AMENDMENT
This Agreement constitutes the entire Agreement of the
parties on the subject matter hereof and may not be
changed, modified, discharged or extended except by
written amendment duly executed by the parties . Each
party agrees that no representations or warranties shall
be binding upon the other party unless expressed in
-2-
writing herein or in a duly executed amendment hereof as
herein provided.
8 . APPLICABLE LAW
This Agreement shall be deemed to have been made in, and
shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the
State of Illinois . Venue for the resolution of any
disputes or the enforcement of any rights pursuant to
this agreement shall be in the Circuit Court of Kane
County, Illinois .
9 . NEWS RELEASES
The LOBBYISTS may not issue any news releases without
prior approval from the City Manager.
10 . NOTICES
All notices, reports and documents required under this
Agreement shall be in writing and shall be mailed by
First Class Mail , postage prepaid, addressed as follows :
A. As to CITY:
JOYCE A. PARKER
City Manager
City of Elgin
150 Dexter Court
Elgin, Illinois 60120-5555
B. As to LOBBYISTS :
LAWRENCE J. SUFFREDIN, JR.
444 North Michigan Avenue, 25th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60611
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have entered into
and executed this Agreement on the date and year first written
above .
For the CITY:
ATTEST: CITY OF EL IN
13Y &41t� 13Y
City Clerk /�/ Cry Manager
Fo e
Steven Nemerovs i Lawrence J. Suffredin, Jr.
-3-
t
City of Elgin Agenda Item No.
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I
March 14 , 2001
mn ;
LIN<<
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
h,,d
FINANCIALLY STABLE CITY GOVERNMENT
EFF C FROM: Joyce A. Parker, City Manager AND QUAILIITY INFRASTRUCTURE
SUBJECT: Lobbyist and Legislative Affairs
PURPOSE
The purpose of this memorandum is to present to the Mayor and
members of City Council a means for representing Elgin' s
legislative interests in Springfield and Washington, DC, through
contracting with a lobbyist .
BACKGROUND
The City has not developed a centralized approach in the area of
intergovernmental affairs . The City' s efforts have relied upon
participation in the DuKane Valley Council, infrequent meetings
with policy makers, and an unstructured approach to securing
outside funding for City projects . In order to move forward, it is
recommended that the following actions be taken:
1 . Development of an annual Legislative Action Plan (LAP) - The
LAP will set forth funding and legislative priorities as
articulated by Staff via the City Council' s community goals .
For example, under the Council goal of "Economic Growth and
Diversified Tax Base" the LAP could target the following:
a. Economic Development : Support efforts to develop and
promote policies that help urban areas foster greater
economic opportunity.
b. Enterprise Zones : Support efforts to extend maximum life
of enterprise zones from 20 to 30 years . Current bill
pending - HB 1991 .
It is proposed that the LAP be developed by staff and then
subsequently reviewed and adopted by the City Council . The
LAP will provide the City' s lobbyist with a plan by which they
can apply their efforts . This will also provide the City with
the means to evaluate the success of the lobbyist' s efforts .
Lobbyist
March 8, 2001
Page 2
2 . Retaining the services of a lobbyist - The lobbyist shall be
responsible for executing the priorities as set forth in the
LAP. In addition, the lobbyist would be responsible for
monitoring of bills and proposals which would affect the City
(i .e . gaming legislation) . It is expected that the lobbyist
would also be able to facilitate relations between the City
and other governmental agencies (i .e HUD, IDOT, etc . ) .
Finally, the lobbyist would be asked to arrange meetings
between City officials and key legislators at both the state
and federal levels .
3 . Increased participation in the DuKane Valley Council and other
professional organizations - It is proposed that the City take
a more proactive approach in its participation with the
various professional organizations of which the City' s
appointed and elected officials are members . It is important
that leadership positions within these groups be encouraged.
4 . Regularly scheduled meetings and communications with the
City' s state representatives - It is important that quarterly
update meetings be held with Representatives Hoeft and Linder
and Senator Rauschenberger. Yearly meetings should be
scheduled with the City' s federal legislators, Senators
Fitzgerald and Durbin and Speaker Hastert . In order to
enhance this component, it is important that the City develop
a format for monthly or quarterly status reports to these
individuals which can be issued by the City Manager' s Office.
Timing & Process of Lobbyist Initiative
The City would be initiating this endeavor several months into the
2001 legislative season. This is favorable since it is important
to initially work with the lobbyist to develop the City' s
Legislative Action Plan. During the remainder of 2001, staff and
the lobbyist will be working together on the LAP' s development and
providing structure to the program.
It is expected by the beginning of the 2002 legislative session,
the learning and development process will be complete and the City
and the lobbyist will be able to achieve a great degree of
effectiveness . It proposed that the City enter into a one-year
agreement with the option to renew on an annual basis .
eolk
Lobbyist
March 8, 2001
Page 3
Lobbyist Selection
Background information has been gathered and reference checks have
been conducted concerning several potential candidates for the
position. The pool of candidates was generated based on
recommendations from the City' s elected representatives and other
communities . The candidates were evaluated on the following:
recommendations by elected officials, local government experience
and cost . As a result of this process, Larry Suffredin has been
identified as the ideal candidate. In addition, Mr. Suffredin will
engage the services of a second lobbyist, as necessary, this
individual is Steven Nemerovski . The proposed fee is $24, 000 per
annum.
Larry Suffredin and Steven Nemerovski come with strong
recommendations from Representatives Hoeft and Lindner as well as
Senator Rauschenberger. This asset cannot be overstated as it is
important that the City' s lobbyist work closely with our elected
representatives . Having both lobbyists work for the City is very
�/�► effective as Mr. Suffredin has strong relationships within the
( Democratic Party and Mr. Nemerovski works with Republicans. Once
again, Mr. Suffredin will be the primary contact for the City and
he will use the services of Mr. Nemerovski at his discretion. Mr.
Suffredin has strong local government experience as he has worked
for the City of Evanston, IL for many years .
In addition, the fee of $24 , 000 is also the lowest among the
proposals and well below the average cost . The costs of the
program should be more than made up through additional dollars
being brought to the City. In sum, Mr. Suffredin and Mr.
Nemerovski meet all the criteria established in this process :
strong references by elected officials, local government
experience, and price competitiveness .
COMMUNITY GROUPS/INTERESTED PERSONS CONTACTED
State Represenatives Linder and Hoeft and Senator Rauschenberger.
INANCIAL IMPACT
Sufficient funds have been budgeted and remain in the 2001 Budget,
Elgin Riverboat Fund, account number 275-000-791 . 80-37 .
Lobbyist
March 8, 2001
Page 4
LEGAL IMPACT
None .
ALTERNATIVES
The City Council could approve the agreement as drafted, edit the
agreement or decline to undertake the initiative .
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Mayor and members of the City Council
approve the agreement between the City of Elgin and Larry Suffredin
and Steven Nemerovski for a fee of $24 , 000 .
Respectfully submitted,
J4ce A. Parker
City Manager