BOROUGH OF TOTOWA
NOTICE AND SOLICITATION OF PROPOSALS FOR PROFESSIONAL LEGAL
SERVICES FOR THE POSITION OF ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT ATTORNEY
FOR THE BOROUGH OF TOTOWA
The Borough of Totowa is soliciting proposals from law firms licensed to practice in the State of
New Jersey to provide legal services as the Zoning Board of Adjustment Attorney for the Borough
of Totowa for a term of one (1) year for the period of January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026.
Three (3) copies of the proposal must be submitted in a sealed envelope bearing the name and
address of the vendor and the name of the contract being bid upon on the outside of the envelope.
The proposal shall be addressed to Joseph Wassel, RMC, Borough of Totowa Municipal Clerk,
Municipal Complex, 537 Totowa Road at Cherba Place, Totowa, New Jersey 07512 and must be
received no later than 12:00 p.m. on Friday, December 19, 2025. No proposal shall be received
in person or by mail after the designated time
Specifications and instructions are on file and may be obtained at the office of the Municipal Clerk
of the Borough of Totowa, Municipal Complex, 537 Totowa Road at Cherba Place, Totowa, New
Jersey 07512, Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. or online at
www.totowanj.org.
Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the most advantageous to the Borough of Totowa, all
factors considered. Proposals will be evaluated by the Mayor, designated members of the Council
and members of the Borough’s administration. The evaluation will consider:
1. Experience and reputation in the field;
2. Knowledge of the Borough of Totowa and the subject matter to be addressed under
the contract;
3. Availability to accommodate any required meetings;
4. Compensation proposal;
5. Other factors if demonstrated to be in the best interest of the Borough of Totowa.
A contract will be awarded as provided by law at a public meeting.
Proposals are being solicited through a fair and open process in accordance with N.J.S.A. 19:44A-
20.5 et seq. The Borough of Totowa reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive
any informalities or irregularities in the proposals received.
Joseph Wassel, RMC
Borough of Totowa Municipal Clerk
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE POSITION OF ZONING BOARD OF
ADJUSTMENT ATTORNEY FOR THE BOROUGH OF TOTOWA
The Borough of Totowa is soliciting proposals for the position of Zoning Board of
Adjustment Attorney to provide services to the Borough. The Borough will select one vendor for
the position of Zoning Board Attorney based upon a fair and open process in accordance with
N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.4, et seq.
Please note that in order to have a proposal considered by the Borough of Totowa, an
interested party must demonstrate the minimum requirements for the position of Zoning Board
Attorney as set forth in Section III and that the interested party otherwise complies with the
proposal requirements set forth in the Borough of Totowa’s “Notice and Solicitation of
Proposals”.
I. APPOINTMENT OF ZONING BOARD ATTORNEY
One (1) attorney will be appointed by the Borough to serve as the official Attorney for the
Borough of Totowa Zoning Board of Adjustment for a term of one (1) year to perform legal
services for the Borough of Totowa. The appointment term will expire on December 31, 2026.
II. SCOPE OF SERVICES
The Zoning Board Attorney shall perform the following minimum duties as well as those
prescribed by any applicable laws and ordinances:
1. attend all regular and special Borough of Totowa Zoning Board of
Adjustment meetings and attend all necessary work sessions of the Zoning
Board as required, this shall include all routine phone calls with staff;
2. prepare and defend all litigation affecting the Zoning Board or any member
of it, which is the result of decisions made on applications or in the normal
performance of their official duties pursuant to the Municipal Land Use Law;
3. shall provide legal advice, research and assistance on any matter as needed
by the Zoning Board;
4. shall draft all legal documents as may be required including but not limited
to the preparation of resolutions;
5. shall review all deeds, covenants, easements and any other documents as
needed;
6. shall represent or advise the Zoning Board on any matter in which the Zoning
Board may have a present or future interest;
7. perform any additional duties as directed by the Borough of Totowa Zoning
Board of Adjustment.
III. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND VENDOR RESPONSES TO THIS
SOLICITATION OF PROPOSALS
In order for the proposal to be considered by the Borough of Totowa, interested
parties must meet the following minimum requirements.
A. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
In order to fulfill the duties of Attorney for Borough of Totowa Zoning Board of
Adjustment, it must be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Borough of Totowa that the
potential vendor:
1. is multi-disciplined with at least ten (10) years experience in all
aspects of the Municipal Land Use Law (the appointed attorney may
be assisted by employees of his/her firm with lesser levels of
experience);
2. has been licensed as an attorney for a minimum of ten (10) years;
3. has at least five (5) years prior experience as a Zoning Board Attorney;
4. has sufficient staff to satisfy the scope of services described in this
proposal.
B. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR VENDOR RESPONSE TO THE
BOROUGH OF TOTOWA’S SOLICITATION OF PROPOSALS
Interested parties wishing to provide a proposal in response to the Borough of
Totowa’s solicitation shall provide the following minimum information in its proposal,
which proposal must be submitted at the location and within the time constraint set forth
above:
1. Full name and business address of entity or person submitting the
proposal and the name of the key contact person;
2. A description of the business organization (i.e., corporation,
partnership, joint venture, etc.) of each firm, its ownership and
organizational structure;
3. The number of years your organization has been in business under the
present name, and the number of years the business organization has
been under the current management;
4. List of all individuals who, if selected, will provide services to the
Borough of Totowa, along with a summary of the licenses held by
each such person;
5. Number of years each individual has provided services to municipal
entities in the State of New Jersey;
6. A description of services that will be provided to the Borough, in
addition to those set forth in Section II;
7. A copy of the firm’s State of New Jersey Business Registration
Certificate;
8. A statement and listing of professional service fees offered to the
Borough of Totowa as Zoning Board of Adjustment Attorney;
9. A statement that applicant complies with the New Jersey Law Against
Discrimination, N.J.S.A. 10:5-1, et seq., and the Affirmative Action
Law of the State of New Jersey, P.L.1975 c.127 as set forth in Exhibits
“A” and “B”;
10. A completed Affidavit of Non-Collusion:
11. The name and addresses of at least three (3) references consisting of
clients for which the applicant has provided services in the past five
(5) years, which should include at least one (1) municipal entity client;
12. A list and description of all professional liability claims, if any,
brought against the applicant during the past five (5) years;
13. Confirm the appropriate federal and state licenses to perform
activities;
14. The applicant shall provide the Borough of Totowa with three (3)
copies of its proposal.
In addition to the terms and conditions specified in the this Request for Proposal,
the Zoning Board Attorney, or his firm shall secure and maintain, during the life of the
contract, insurance for workers compensation for its employees, officers, agents and/or
partners as required by law. The Zoning Board Attorney, or his firm shall secure and
maintain professional liability insurance for itself and all professional staff with a limit of
not less than One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) per claim and aggregate. A Certificate
of Insurance shall be provided to the Borough as evidence of such coverage.
IV. BASIS OF AWARD OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT
The Borough shall award the professional service contract based upon
qualifications, merit, cost competitiveness, references and experience with issues
confronting the Borough of Totowa. Proposals will be evaluated by the Mayor of the
Borough of Totowa, selected members of the Zoning Board and Borough officials, such as
the Municipal Clerk. The determination will be based upon the most advantageous proposal
to the Borough of Totowa, through price and other factors considered, which have been
stated above. The specific criteria will include, by way of example and not by way of
limitation:
1. Individual and firm experience and reputation;
2. Knowledge of the operations of the Borough of Totowa and the services to
be provided as the Zoning Board Attorney;
3. Availability to accommodate any required meetings;
4. Compensation proposal;
5. Other factors that the Borough of Totowa deems to be in the best interests of
the Borough.
A contract will awarded as provided by law at a public meeting.
All awards are and shall be subject to the availability of funds for the professional
services.
This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.