Contracted, Part-time Municipal Prosecutor

The City's goal is to contract with a qualified individual or firm to provide exceptional Contracted, Part-time Municipal Prosecutor services. Term shall be for one (1) year with the option to renew for four (4) one-year periods .

Background

The City of Wheat Ridge (the “City”) Municipal Building is located in the northwest Denver metropolitan area, with municipal offices at 7500 W 29th Avenue, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033. The City’s area consists of about nine square miles of rolling land adjacent to the Interstate 70 transportation corridor between Denver and the Rocky Mountains.  The topography is somewhat unique, with a natural ridge traversing the City. The City is a suburban community of approximately 33,000 residents. Wheat Ridge is a home-rule municipality with an elected mayor and eight council members, and a Council- Manager form of government. Wheat Ridge recognizes the Best Value procurement model which allows the City to appoint suppliers that best meet the needs of the City, taking into consideration proposer qualifications, price, products, and service capabilities and other factors relevant to the City’s policies, programs, administrative resources, and budget.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 26-001
• Department: Procurement
• Department Head: Whitney Mugford-Smith (Procurement Manager)

Addenda

• Addendum #1 (released 2026-03-30T17:18:18.458Z) —

  Please use the See What Changed link to view all the changes made by this addendum.

• Addendum #2 (released 2026-04-06T15:03:38.654Z) —

  Please use the See What Changed link to view all the changes made by this addendum.

Evaluation Criteria

• Scope of Services —

  The City of Wheat Ridge is seeking a part-time, contracted attorney or law firm to perform City Prosecution Services. The City Prosecutor provides professional legal services on behalf of the City, focusing primarily on municipal court prosecution, code enforcement, nuisance and code abatement, and certain administrative hearings. This position conducts legal research, prepares and reviews legal documents, prosecutes ordinance violations, initiates, manages, and litigates abatement cases, and handles any matter arising out of Municipal Court proceedings. The City Prosecutor works closely with the City Attorney, City departments, law enforcement personnel, and other agencies to ensure consistent enforcement of the City's codes and ordinances. Optional paralegal support may be available for case preparation, discovery, subpoenas, and related tasks. Prosecutors may choose to utilize this support or perform these functions independently.

  The City Prosecutor shall be responsible for:

  • Prosecutes all alleged violations of the City Code in Municipal Court, including arraignments , pretrials, motions, trials, sentencing, and post-judgment matters; handles appeals of cases that come out of Municipal Court, unless otherwise directed by the City Attorney.
  • Manages abatement cases, including nuisance and property maintenance enforcement.
  • Represents the City in administrative hearing cases involving code violations and those administrative hearings which arise from Chapters 2 and 15 of the City Code.
  • Conducts legal research; prepares legal memoranda, pleadings, and related documents.
  • Advises City departments, Police, and Code Enforcement staff on enforcement procedures and legal requirements.
  • Communicates with defendants and their counsel as needed.
  • Maintains knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local laws.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

  The following minimum qualifications are required:

  • Licensed to practice law in the state.
  • Experience in municipal prosecution, criminal law, or code enforcement preferred.
  • Strong courtroom advocacy, legal writing, and research skills.
  • Ability to establish effective working relationships with City staff and the public

  General Court Schedule:

  Prosecutor must be available for the following court activities (typically 10-15 hours a week unless a jury trial is scheduled) NOTE: The City will entertain proposals for coverage of only the Tuesday docket or only the Wednesday docket,  although full coverage is preferred. In either case, coverage of the Thursday docket is required.

  • Tuesday Docket -AM trials to court 1 PM "general matters" docket
  • Wednesday Docket - all day arraignments (case types include: traffic and/ or misdemeanors)
  • Occasional Thursday Docket –
    • Administrative Hearings - 1st Thursday of each month (code, sales tax, abatement, etc.)
    • Community Court - 2nd Thursday of each month (created to accommodate unhoused individuals)
    • Jury Trials - 3rd Thursday (for any jury trial eligible cases)

  The City of Wheat Ridge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and inclusivity and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, marital status or any other applicable characteristics protected by law, unless related to a bona fide occupational qualification . The City of Wheat Ridge will consider reasonable accommodation for employment to qualified applicants upon request to the Human Resources Office.

  This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities, or working conditions associated with the position.

• Evaluation Process —

  The selection committee may either recommend an award based on the proposals alone, or elect to short-list firms and conduct interviews.

  The short-list process includes written notification to the short-listed firms, interviews with firm members, reference checks on the top-ranked firm, and the negotiation of fees.

Submission Requirements

• Hourly Rates (required)
• Contract Term (required) —

  Enter the contract term for your project.

  Example: one (1) year with the option to renew for four (4) one-year periods 

• Pricing (required) —
  • Choose Option 1 when you have set line items, for example:
    • This is a quote for goods or commodities
    • This is a public works bid, with a pricing table that can be uploaded into OpenGov Procurement from an Excel spreadsheet.
    • Seeking services for hourly rate schedules.
  • Choose Option 2 when you need vendors to provide you with the line items.