Legal Department

Overview

The Legal Department provides legal services to the Mayor, City Council, City Manager, Department Heads, and the Boards and Commissions of the City. These include the Airport Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, Cable Television Commission, Old Fort Golf Commission, Parks & Recreation Commission, Planning Commission, and the Water & Sewer Board. The Legal Department also advises the officials and employees of two municipally created entities, the Murfreesboro City Board of Education and the Murfreesboro Power Board, that administer the Murfreesboro City Schools and the Murfreesboro Electric Department respectively.

Legal services provided by the Legal Department include drafting ordinances and resolutions for the City Council, preparing or reviewing bids, construction contracts, contracts for goods and services, leases, deeds, inter-governmental agreements, Employee Handbook, and other legal documents; advising about personnel matters; representing the City and its employees in litigation as a plaintiff or a defendant; collecting back taxes; obtaining land easements or rights-of-way for City purposes; certifying bonds, capital outlay notes and other financial and debt instruments; and, advising about new cases and statutes and their application to City activities.

The Legal Department is also responsible for the City's Risk Management Program. This includes identifying, minimizing and preventing risk exposures through employment of a Safety Director and regular inspections of City facilities; providing educational training videos for City employees; receiving and responding to complaints about City activities or employees allegedly causing personal injury or property damage; managing the fire, boiler and machinery, and other casualty insurance coverage for City-owned properties; and, handling workers' compensation claims from City employees. Murfreesboro is a self-insured city for workers' compensation and liability claims and has created the Risk Management Fund for this purpose. The City Attorney is the Administrator of the Risk Management Fund and coordinates with the Risk Management Committee.

The City Attorney is appointed by the City Council. Other members of the Legal Department staff are two staff attorneys, the Risk Manager and Safety Director and Legal Assistants.

Welcome!
from Susan Emery McGannon,
City Attorney

On behalf of the entire Murfreesboro Legal Department, welcome. The Legal Department provides representation to the people of Murfreesboro through representing their city, a municipal corporation, and its elected and appointed officials, boards and commissions and employees. We seek to empower, support and defend their efforts to improve the quality of life in our community by our advice and advocacy. We strive to serve the city with skill, integrity and dedication. Described on this page are some of the responsibilities of the Legal Department. We appreciate your interest in what we do.