Matthew R. Dalton

Grimshaw & Harring, P.C., Denver, USA

Nearly all my time is spent in the areas of special improvement districts, municipal finance, and municipal and state constitutional law generally, now acting as general counsel to approximately sixty Colorado special districts, public authorities, business districts, public mall districts, local governments, and as special counsel to cities and counties. This representation has involved all aspects of the administration of an operation of a municipality, including: the attendance of public hearing and meetings; assistance in the coordination of the municipal finance matters, including implementation of long range financial plans, oversight of legal issues concerning public employee investment plans, the preparation and filing of annual municipal budgets, the entry into lease purchase agreements with and without certificates of participation and assistance in the sale of municipal bonds and other tax exempt transactions; the setting of and dispute resolution for municipal utility rates, special assessments, and property taxes; the coordination of water rights acquisition and protection, water storage construction, water well permitting and drilling; the preparation and administration of municipal service contracts, municipal construction contracts, and intergovernmental agreements, subdivision improvement agreements, development agreements, annexation agreements, utility extension agreements, and government construction contracts; the negotiation for and condemnation of public easement and rights-of-way; the preparation and review of municipal employee contracts and labor relations and municipal labor disputes; the analysis of the need for and effectiveness of municipal insurance coverage's; and the general advice and counsel ordinarily given to the governing body of a political subdivision.

• "Directors Conflicts: The Effect of Disclosure", The Colorado Lawyer, 1986