REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS – MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGE
I. PURPOSE OF REQUEST
The City of Ferndale requests proposals to provide Municipal Court Judge services for a term of two years commencing on January 1, 2019, with the option to extend the contract with the mutual agreement of the parties for an additional two-year period.
The City will pay the selected judge to preside over all sessions of the Municipal Court. The dates and times for the Court are as follows:
| Date and Time | Issues Addressed and Location |
| Sundays | City will utilize the Whatcom County Rotating Judge Call-In Arrangement Process for First Appearance/Probable Cause Hearings (no arraignments, pleas or sentencing) for Inmates at Whatcom County Jail. |
| Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. | In-Custody Hearings at Whatcom County Jail (except following a Monday holiday) at 311 Grand Avenue Bellingham |
| Tuesdays Following Monday Holiday | As Needed – Ferndale Municipal Judge Shall Utilize Call-In Arrangement for First Appearance/Probable Cause Hearings (no arraignments, pleas or sentencing) for Inmates at Whatcom County Jail. |
| Wednesdays | As Needed – Ferndale Municipal Judge Shall Utilize Call-In Arrangement for First Appearance/Probable Cause Hearings (no arraignments, pleas or sentencing) for Inmates at Whatcom County Jail. |
| 2nd Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. | Traffic Infraction Mitigation Hearings at 5694 3rd Ave. Ferndale |
| Every Friday at 9:00 a.m. (except 5th Fridays) | Probable Cause Hearings, Criminal Arraignments, Warrant Quash Hearings, Pretrial Hearings, and Probation Hearings at 5694 2nd Ave. Ferndale |
| 4th Friday at 8:45 a.m. | Contested Traffic Infraction Hearings at 5694 2nd Ave. Ferndale |
| 5th Fridays | As Needed – Ferndale Municipal Judge Shall Utilize Call-In Arrangement for First Appearance/Probable Cause Hearings (no arraignments, pleas or sentencing) for Inmates at Whatcom County Jail. |
The Municipal Court Judge will be an independent contractor and an integral member of the Municipal Court team assisting in developing court policies and procedures, in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws. The Municipal Court Judge must be a competent, duly qualified attorney practicing for at least five (5) years in the State of Washington and preferably have judicial experience.
II. INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS
A. All proposals should be sent to:
Greg Young, City Administrator
PO Box 936
Ferndale, WA 98248
B. All proposals must be in a sealed envelope and clearly marked in the upper left-hand corner “RFP – Municipal Court Judge”.
C. All proposals must be received by 4:30 PM, on October 5, 2018. An original and 2 copies of proposals must be presented. No faxed, emailed, or telephone proposals will be accepted.
D. Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the provider’s capability to satisfy the requirements of the request. Special bindings, colored displays and promotional materials are not desired. Emphasis should be on completeness and clarity of content.
E. The City will attempt to schedule interviews, if desired, during the week of October 15, 2018. Proposers should take note that a selection may be made by the City based upon the written proposal submitted and should plan accordingly
F. The attorney selected shall be notified on or before October 26, 2018. The Ferndale City Council must ratify a contract with the selected attorney. The anticipated start date is January 1, 2019.
G. All proposals must include the following information:
- The name of the attorney who is proposed to provide municipal court judge services and his or her experience.
- Resume and References.
- Provide information in your proposal addressing the following: your experience in providing judicial services and how long you have been a practicing lawyer in the State of Washington.
- If you have previously or are currently provided contract services for a city or county.
- Whether you have been disciplined by the Washington State Bar Association, or any other mandatory bar association of any other state.
- Whether you have been removed from a case because of a court finding of ineffective assistance of counsel.
- Whether you have been monetarily sanctioned by a court for any reason. If so, please provide a summary of the sanction, including the court and date sanction was imposed.
- Whether you have had an action for malpractice filed against you in any courts. If so, please provide the status or disposition of the filing.
III. TERMS AND CONDITIONS
A. The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive minor irregularities in any proposal.
B. The City reserves the right to request clarification of information submitted and to request additional information from any proposer.
C. The City reserves the right to award any Contract to the next most qualified proposer, if the successful proposer does not execute a Contract within thirty (30) days after the award of the proposal.
D. Any proposal may be withdrawn up until the date and time set for opening of the proposals. Any proposal not timely withdrawn shall constitute an irrevocable offer for a period of sixty (60) days to provide to the City the services described herein or until one or more of the proposals has been approved by City administration, whichever first occurs.
E. The City shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by a firm in preparing, submitting, or presenting its response to the RFP.
IV. SCOPE OF SERVICES
A. General Description. Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 3.50 of the Revised Code of Washington, the City has established the Municipal Court for the City of Ferndale. Such court has jurisdiction and shall exercise all powers declared by said chapter to be vested in municipal courts, together with such other powers and jurisdiction as are generally conferred upon such courts in the State of Washington either by common law or by express statute or ordinance.
B. The Municipal Court Judge shall maintain an office, office and cell phone and all other infrastructure including adequate support services not provided by the City.
V. COMPENSATION
Historically the Municipal Court Judge has been compensated based on a flat monthly rate for all regular court calendar events and an hourly rate for court time outside of regular court calendar days. Please present detailed information on your proposed fee schedule for both regular court calendar events and court events outside the regular court calendar. All Municipal Court Judge payments shall be made on a monthly basis in accordance with the City’s accounts payable procedures.