The NoCo Herald

Larimer and Weld counties, Colorado

Clear, 64° in Severance at 4:00 PM. Forecast high 68, low 36.

Severance

Severance council directs search for outside legal counsel

·Severance·Weld County

From the Severance Town Council meeting of

The town has an interim attorney, and the council was asked to guide management on what to do next, the town manager said. An outside firm could offer attorneys with different specialties for work a single in-house attorney would handle, a council member said.

The Severance Town Council directed its manager Oct. 27 to seek outside legal services and bring two viable firms back for council input.

The town has an interim attorney, and the council was asked to guide management on what to do next, the town manager said. An outside firm could offer attorneys with different specialties for work a single in-house attorney would handle, a council member said. The town manager recommended outside counsel because hiring in-house had been difficult: “We were still hiring outside services to be able to help that in-house attorney.”

The town manager put the average cost of an in-house attorney at $150,000 to $210,000, spread across the water, utility or enterprise, and general funds. An outside firm would cost more, with most of its expense falling on the general fund because most of its work is there, the manager said. Planning-related charges could be billed back to developers instead of residents, the manager said. The budget already reflects outside counsel and was set on the high side while the council considered both options, the manager said.

Outside firms had not always responded as promptly as needed, the mayor said. “They've got other clients,” the mayor said, explaining why the town might not come first. In-house counsel did not produce the efficiency the town wanted, the mayor said.

A council member questioned whether an attorney who works for the council must follow a manager’s request without council direction. The mayor said the town charter assigns the attorney to the council, though the manager typically sets the order of legal work on its behalf. All seven council members can contact the attorney directly, whether the attorney is in-house or with a firm, and the town has controls on billable contacts, the mayor said.

The town’s contract with its current law firm is set to run through the end of December, a council member confirmed. With only one council meeting in December, the schedule for seeking proposals would be tight, the town manager said. The current agreement could be extended by a month if needed, the manager said.

More from this meeting

  1. Severance Town Council work Session/Regular, Oct. 27, 2026

    Severance proposes 6% wastewater rate increase, 1.5% for water; Severance starts annexation process for 3.668 acres of Berrado land; Severance sets Dec. 8 hearing on Buffalo Creek annexation; Council appoints Knott to Planning Commission, 6-1; 5 consent items adopted.

  2. Item A1Severance proposes 6% wastewater rate increase, 1.5% for water

    The proposed bills set a $38.15 water base fee plus $8.88 per 1,000 gallons, and $39.81 for the first 5,000 gallons of wastewater. A public budget hearing is set for Nov. 10.

  3. Item C2Severance starts annexation process for 3.668 acres of Berrado land

    A public hearing is set for Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. to consider whether the proposal meets state and constitutional requirements. Reviews by special districts and local governments would follow before a final council vote.

  4. Item C3Severance sets Dec. 8 hearing on Buffalo Creek annexation

    The hearing is set for 6 p.m. at the Severance Town Council Chambers, 3 S. Timber Ridge Pkwy. The council will determine whether the proposed annexation meets constitutional and state-law requirements.

  5. Item C4Severance starts Ridgegate annexation process, sets Dec. 8 hearing

    The hearing will determine whether the proposal meets state constitutional and statutory eligibility requirements, not whether to annex the land.

  6. Item C5Severance restores permits to grade land before final plat approval

    A $2,000-per-disturbed-acre bond and town engineer approval are required. The permits cover preliminary grading only, not building or infrastructure work, and do not guarantee final plat approval.

  7. Item C6Severance raises lot, street setbacks near plugged, abandoned and reclaimed wells to 75 feet

    Future plats must place plugged and abandoned wells and production facilities in separate non-buildable tracts with access. Existing wells retain a 350-foot lot setback, while streets may not be platted within 150 feet.

  8. Item C7Severance approves zero-foot front setbacks for Town Core multifamily housing

    Multifamily housing may have no front setback there. Nonresidential buildings with a shared party wall also may have no front setback.

  9. Item C8Severance council allows itself to bypass planning panel on code text amendments

    The ordinance lets the council skip commission review after a motion at or before introduction, but it must still apply code criteria and hold its own public hearing with at least 15 days’ notice.

  10. Item C9Severance sets 30-day restart window for paused land-use applications

    Only applications already on hold at an applicant’s request and not already void are covered; they must be restarted in writing after the ordinance takes effect or become void, requiring a new filing and applicable review fees to proceed.