Discover Bella Vista meets legal counsel

Services will include counsel and the generation of an informational packet for commissioners regarding the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

BELLA VISTA — Discover Bella Vista, the advertising and promotion commission for the city, spoke with representative Quattlebaum, Grooms and Tull during its Sept. 10 meeting.

Vince Chadick, an attorney with the firm, said they will provide legal services and bill based on hours of service provided while providing one to two hours of pro bono service per month.

Chadick said he expects the commission is looking at $10,000 per year or less under this agreement.

Services will include counsel and the generation of an informational packet for commissioners regarding the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, ensuring the commission is taxing and spending appropriately and in line with state law, guidance on personnel and human resources issues and guidance on contracts, he explained.

The firm will also work to provide estimates on what a given task may cost the commission, he added.

A representative of the commission may contact the legal firm with a question, prompting preliminary research before a member of the legal team responds with an estimate on how much work — and how much billable time — will be needed to answer the particular question or concern, so commissioners can decide if the question is worth the potential cost, he explained.

“Sometimes what seems to be a very simple question is, in fact, involving quite a few complicated issues,” Chadick explained, noting a relatively straightforward question could require attorneys to examine not only a statute but case law and the attorney general’s positions on the issue.

The commission also discussed potentially hiring a photographer to generate imagery for restaurant advertising, approved launching a series of display ads with existing budgeted funds and approved a $450 to $650 budget for an illustrated trail map.