The Philomath City Council voted 6-0 Monday to authorize the city manager to sign an assignment of contract for prosecutor services to shift the agreement from Ivers and Miller Law to Miller, Castleton and Flinn LLC.
The change comes as Ivers & Miller Law separates into two distinct firms. The city’s prosecutor is joining Miller, Castleton and Flinn.
Mayor Christopher McMorran said the firm the city currently contracts with for prosecutor services “is sort of splitting up,” and the city wants to continue working with the attorneys it has been using under their new legal entity.
“So the terms of our contract are exactly the same,” McMorran said. “Nothing’s changing. It’s even going to be the same people doing it.”
Assistant City Manager Chelsea Starner told the council the existing contract includes a “no assignment” clause, requiring the city to formally authorize the reassignment. Attorneys will draft the necessary language, she said.
The city originally selected Ivers and Miller Law for prosecutor services in January 2024 after the city’s longtime attorney firm dissolved following the retirements of its partners. Dan Miller and Catherine Pratt, both of whom will join the new firm, were the attorneys the council originally interviewed and selected for the role.
No other terms of the contract will change.