The Village of Innsbrook will begin the search for a new attorney after a request for proposal for the position was approved at the April 15 board of trustees meeting. 

The village is contracted with the Graville Law Firm until the end of its fiscal year on June 30 at which point a new attorney will be chosen. 

Originally, an associate at that law firm, Nathan Bruns, had been handling the bulk of the work for the village. After a series of controversial meetings surrounding decisions on the Wags and Whiskers Animal Shelter and the new Innsbrook Village Hall, Chris Graville took over those duties. 

Reuter said Graville had Bruns working with the village as a training program but when meetings became contentious, Graville stepped in. 

“From my perspective, it was a good training program for Nathan,” said Reuter. “Due to some of the conflicts that have been going on, Chris Graville pulled Nathan from that role.”

Reuter said Graville told him he had been stretched thin serving as an attorney for other municipalities and had not been able to dedicate adequate time to the village. 

He said he asked Graville if he was still interested in serving as the village attorney to which Graville replied that he thought he would be able to work in Bruns’ stead but was having difficulty finding the time. 

He had also been working at a “discounted rate,” according to Reuter, since the bulk of the work was previously being done by associates. 

“I understand he had been giving us, really a discounted rate, because he had young associates in here, and there wasn’t a whole lot to do and so it was working out okay,” said Reuter. 

Reuter also said Graville expressed interest in continuing to serve as village attorney, just under a renegotiated agreement. 

“(Graville) said, I may very well even submit a proposal myself under what I think are appropriate arrangements for compensation for my time to serve as village attorney,” said Reuter. 

He also clarified that while Graville’s contract technically ends on June 30, Graville said he would not “leave (the village) hanging,” and would continue to serve as attorney until a new candidate was selected or a renegotiated agreement was approved. 

Reorganization of the board

The approval for the RFP was one of the last decisions Reuter and Trustee Cynthia Cook were a part of on the board as they did not retain their seats in the April 8 election. 

“This is my last meeting to serve as a trustee. It’s been four years which went by real fast,” said Reuter. “I have found it fascinating and our village is really in its infancy stages, and we’ve got things that are forcing us to move forward. So there’s a lot of things in the works, and any assistance I can be to anybody, I’m always open to share.”

Shortly after the RFP was approved, new trustees Linda Buschman, Alice Jensen and Mike Caton were sworn in at the meeting. 

The board was also reorganized at the meeting with sitting Trustee Cynthia Bowers voted as the new board chairman and Buschman selected as the new board secretary. 

As the RFP is publicized and applications are received, the decision of whom to select for the new village attorney will fall on the new board including sitting members Bowers and Trustee Donna West and incoming members Buschman, Jensen and Caton.