Municipal Law

For Iowa municipalities, the benefits of working with Brick Gentry are significant. The lawyers in our municipal law group have worked in nearly every aspect of local governance and our attorneys have a wide range of experience that provides our clients with the legal support necessary to enable them to carry out their long-range goals.

Brick Gentry's municipal law group offers a valuable combination of experience for cities, counties and 28Es across Iowa regarding a wide variety of municipal issues. Serving the needs of small towns, large cities and everything in between requires a variety of expertise that is best provided by our municipal practice group. This experienced group serves as city attorney for a number of communities, serves on an "as needed" basis for counties, 28E agencies, and provides back-up services for many more cities.

Guiding city officials and staff through the complex legal and business issues is the primary responsibility of our municipal law group. Members advise municipal clients in areas such as: annexation, zoning and condemnation; land use and development; construction; inter-municipal agreements; economic development; municipal court prosecution and operations; ordinance drafting; employment matters; compliance with open meeting and record laws; elections; water, sewer, wastewater and electric authorities; franchises; general litigation; and ethics.Brick Gentry's municipal group provides communities with high quality, responsive and efficient legal services. The group uses a team approach that allows multiple tasks to be handled simultaneously and a municipal attorney to be always available to assist clients when emergencies inevitably arise. The lawyers in the municipal group work closely with the firm's other areas of practice, such as the litigation, general business and intellectual property groups, to meet the needs of our clients.

Municipal Law Areas of Expertise

Administrative Law

The attorneys of Brick Gentry, P.C., are politically active and connected to provide clients advice and political access concerning a broad spectrum of administrative matters. The administrative law group is highly proficient in the legal principles guiding the administration and regulation of governmental agencies at the federal, state and local levels.

Brick Gentry provides its clients enlightened legal counsel to help maneuver through complex administrative laws and requirements, as well as government bureaucracy. Our firm's attorneys also work with clients in administrative hearings and meetings to help them achieve their administrative goals.

Annexation

With a wealth of direct experience in implementing annexations, Brick Gentry can cut through much of the bureaucracy to expand a county, city or municipal district's population, area and tax base sooner. Our municipal team can assist by introducing the proper annexation documents and procedures, fighting off challenges, obtaining the proper land use approvals and tending to other jurisdictional issues.

Labor Negotiations

Our labor specialists offer a wealth of experience in the fields of labor law, negotiations and collective bargaining to protect the interests of municipalities. In addition to these areas, the legal group can help assure cities comply with frequently changing labor legislation, serve as a city's voice in union issues, hire and remove municipal employees, and defend against accusations of unfair labor practices.

Prosecutions

To reduce operational budgets, several municipalities have replaced their city attorneys with outside legal experts working on an hourly, per assignment or contractual basis. Brick Gentry's municipal legal team represents these clients in pursuing criminal prosecutions and ordinance enforcement, acting as the prosecuting attorney for city and counties.

Representation of Municipalities

Brick Gentry represents a number of Iowa municipalities in protecting their interests before local, state and federal courts, and in discussions with utilities and business interests in attracting and retaining local industry. Our attorneys also serve as a city's legal representatives in matters of court.