RESOLUTION EXPANDING THE POOL OF LAW FIRMS TO SERVE AS OUTSIDE LEGAL COUNSEL FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2026, PURSUANT TO N.J.S.A. 40A:11-5 AND RFQ-26-060

title RESOLUTION EXPANDING THE POOL OF LAW FIRMS TO SERVE AS OUTSIDE LEGAL COUNSEL FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2026, PURSUANT TO N.J.S.A. 40A:11-5 AND RFQ-26-060 body body WHEREAS, the County of Passaic ("County") is a body politic and corporate pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:18-1 and vested with all rights contained therein; and WHEREAS, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:20-1, the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Passaic ("Board") is vested with managing the property, finances, and affairs of the County; and WHEREAS, on October 28, 2025, the Board adopted Resolution No. R-25-993, qualifying various law firms to serve as outside legal counsel for the County in calendar year 2026 on an as-needed basis and as recommended by the Passaic County Counsel ("County Counsel"), pursuant to RFQ-26-032 and RFQ-26-044; and WHEREAS, the County wishes to expand the pool of qualified law firms to undertake representation in various litigation matters and serve as outside legal counsel for calendar year 2026; and WHEREAS, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:11-5, et seq., the Purchasing Agent issued RFQ-26-060, Expand Pool Outside Legal Counsel ("RFQ-26-060") on December 1, 2025, responses to which were unsealed on December 10, 2025; and WHEREAS, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.4, the County's request for qualifications was issued under a fair and open process, specifically, the pool of outside legal counsel for calendar year 2026 is publicly advertised, awarded under a process that provides for public solicitation of qualifications, established the basis of an award and disclosure process documented in writing prior to any solicitation, and is publicly opened and announced when awarded; and WHEREAS, after review of the RFQ responses, County Counsel is recommending to qualify Trenk Isabel Siddiqi & Shahdanian P.C. under RFQ-26-060 to be added to the County's list of law firms qualified to serve as outside legal counsel for the County in calendar year 2026, as shown on the attached Schedule A; and WHEREAS, this matter was discussed at the December 17, 2025, meeting of the Administration and Finance Committee, and is being recommended to the Board for approval. NOW, THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:11-5(1)(a)(i), the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Passaic qualifies Trenk Isabel Siddiqi & Shahdanian P.C. to be added to the County's list of law firms qualified to serve as outside legal counsel for the County in calendar year 2026, as shown on the attached Schedule A, in accordance with the firm's response to RFQ-26-060. ' LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED the Clerk to the Board, County Counsel and Director of the Board are authorized to take any action necessary to carry out the purpose of this Resolution. NB December 29, 2025