Central : TUSTIN : Accord Reached on City Atty. Standards

The City Council has reached a compromise on requirements of a possible new city attorney.

Mayor Thomas R. Saltarelli, Councilman Jim Potts and City Manager William A. Huston had all proposed slightly different versions of a request for qualifications that will be sent out to legal firms after the holidays.

Saltarelli’s main concern was that Tustin should establish high standards.

“If we make these qualifications too minimal,” Saltarelli said, “we’ll have a sea of applications coming in.”

Tustin is seeking an attorney who has practiced at least seven years and is familiar with the issues facing a general-law city.

For more than three decades, Tustin has contracted for legal services from Rourke, Woodruff & Spradlin.

Potts said that after such a long time, the city needs to “see what’s out there.”

The attorney representing the city would need to be experienced in a wide variety of legal matters. Among the complex issues facing the city in coming years will be the reuse of the Tustin Marine Corps Helicopter Air Station.

The federal government may close the helicopter training base as early as 1997.