PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The City of Salida is inviting proposals from qualified individuals to provide legal services for the City of Salida’s Municipal Court in the role of the Municipal Court Judge. This RFQ is intended to gather pertinent information concerning the ability of an individual attorney to meet the municipal court needs of the City, located in Chaffee County, Colorado.
The City of Salida is interested in obtaining a reliable and experienced individual with demonstrated knowledge in providing municipal court judge services in a comprehensive, timely, and efficient manner. Interested individuals should have significant experience in matters addressed by municipal courts. The Municipal Court Judge will work with the court clerk and the prosecuting attorney to preside over the Municipal Court.
The specific nature of the scope of work for this project is outlined in this document. Proposals received in the timeline provided will be evaluated, and subsequent interviews may be coordinated with the top responding candidates. The schedule for Municipal Judge selection and project completion is included below. All proposals must be submitted to Christy Doon, City Administrator, by 2:00pm MST on December 3, 2025.
SUMMARY OF SELECTION PROCESS
The City of Salida requests proposals from qualified attorneys licensed to practice law in the State of Colorado for Municipal Judge services.
SCHEDULE FOR CONSULTANT SELECTION
November 7, 2025 Distribute Request for Proposals
December 3, 2025 2:00pm MST, Proposal Deadline
December 11, 2025 Selected Consultant Interviews
December 16, 2025 Anticipated City Council Award
January 15, 2025 First Anticipated Attendance at Municipal Court
WHERE TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS
Digital copies of proposals in Adobe PDF format must be submitted by email to Christy Doon, City Administrator, Christy.doon [at] cityofsalida.com (Christy[dot]doon[at]cityofsalida[dot]com), no later than 2:00 pm MST on the proposal deadline. The City has the right to reject any or all proposals for any reason, to waive irregularities or informalities in proposals, and to re-advertise for proposals, if desired.
PROJECT LOCATION
The City of Salida is located near the crossroads of Highway 50 and Highway 291 in Chaffee County, Colorado.
SCOPE OF SERVICES
The Municipal Court Judge presides over Municipal Court matters in which the Municipal Court has jurisdiction. The Judge shall have all judicial powers and duties as provided in the City’s Code and ordinances and in the Colorado Revised Statutes applicable to municipal judges, except as otherwise provided by the Code or ordinance. The Judge is authorized to exercise contempt powers, and enforce subpoenas issued by any board, commission, hearing officer, or other body or officer of the City authorized by law or ordinance to issue subpoenas, and all other powers inherent with the office. The Municipal Court convenes for one (1) regular session of the Municipal Court on the third Thursday of each month and more often as needed. The session of the Court will be held during the day, and at the discretion of the Municipal Court Judge.
The City expects that the Municipal Court Judge will preside over the court in person, keep abreast of current legislation, and obtain ongoing education and training remaining current on all matters relating to municipal courts and municipal judges. Costs associated with these efforts may be shared with the City with prior approval and as budgeted.
EXPERIENCE REQUIRED/PREFERRED
Qualified individuals must be:
-
Licensed to actively practice law in the State of Colorado and be in good standing with the Colorado Supreme Court.
-
Able, capable, and skilled as a prospective judge.
-
Able to meet the time requirements of the City.
-
Reliable, integral, of sound judgment, reputation, and character, efficient.
-
High performing in prior or current judge contracts, if any.
-
Available and adaptable to meet the services and needs of the City.
-
Knowledgeable in the Salida Municipal Code, local court rules, Colorado Municipal Court Rules, and the Colorado Rules of Evidence.
Experience in other areas of municipal law is desirable, but not required.
PROPOSALS
Proposals should focus on the qualifications and experience of the proposed individual. A short list of individuals may be developed based upon the proposals submitted. Those on the short list may be invited to interview.
Proposals should include the following and in the order given:
- Name of the person who will be in charge of providing Municipal Court Judge services to the City. This it the person who will be recommended for appointment to the position of the “Municipal Court Judge” by the City Council. A resume of this person’s background and experience should emphasize the municipal law experience of that person and the level of responsibility in this area.
- Specific information on the certification, licensure/registration, and continuing legal education training for the preceding calendar year, including such information as may be necessary to establish that the applicant is an active attorney at law admitted to practice in Colorado.
- Disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest that you may have in relation to the City of Salida.
- Details regarding your existing workload and how you will fit this contract into your existing work priorities.
- A list of references with whom you have worked in the past five (5) years. If you have provided municipal court judge services to municipal or government clients in the recent past, please submit municipal or government client references as well.
- Ability to perform this scope of work, along with the specific expertise, education, and experience.
TERM
The term of the agreement which is the subject of this solicitation process shall be for two (2) years, commencing on the date the agreement is executed by the City, subject to extension as provided therein. All work to be performed under the agreement shall commence promptly after receipt of a fully executed copy of the agreement to the extent that the Municipal Financial Advisor has been authorized to proceed by the City.
The City, at its sole option and discretion, may offer to extend the agreement for additional one-year terms. The extension option may be exercised by the City, provided the Municipal Judge has performed satisfactorily and all terms and conditions of the Agreement have been fulfilled. Each extension must be mutually agreed upon in writing, by and between the City and the Municipal Judge, approved by the City of Salida City Council, and shall be subject to the annual appropriation of funds, therefore. Successful proposer will be asked to enter in o a Professional Services Agreement with the City of Salida (A copy of which may be obtained from the City of Salida).
COMPENSATION
The Municipal Court Judge’s compensation shall be an annual salary in the amount of $20,400, as approved by the Salida City Council, pursuant to Section 2-5-40 of the Salida Municipal Code.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
- Demonstration of understanding of the City’s needs and objectives
- Qualifications and ability to meet the needs of the City
- Professional personnel assigned
- Cost proposal
- References
The City of Salida reserves the right to reject any and all proposals for any reason.
Questions should be directed to:
Christy Doon, City Administrator – christy.doon [at] cityofsalida.com (christy[dot]doon[at]cityofsalida[dot]com) – 719.530.2624
Proposals for services are due by: 2:00 pm, MST December 3, 2025