City Attorney s Office. FY Budget Presentation

Transcription

1 FY Budget Presentation 1

2 Accomplishments/Process Improvements Conducted internal needs assessment and office reorganized for improved management and responsiveness Two divisions - Transactional and Litigation with a First Assistant over each who both report to the City Attorney Weekly attorney staff meetings Weekly one-on-one s between First Assistants and attorneys they are supervising Recognized need for additional Deputy City Attorney 2

3 Accomplishments/Process Improvements Improved working relationship and communication with City management at all levels Participation by City Attorney or First Assistant in CM s weekly meeting As-required 24/7 availability of City Attorney and First Assistants Weekly, bi-weekly and monthly with high-use departments such as Materials Management, Development Services, Economic Development and DME Individual attorney outreach to assigned departments to learn about client s legal needs 3

4 Accomplishments/Process Improvements Improved City Council agenda review process to ensure both transparency and TOMA compliance Participation in weekly Council agenda committee meeting Implementation of closed session requests Work session and closed session caption review and revision by City Attorney and First Assistants to ensure intended discussion is allowed Last pass Friday review with CMO before agenda is posted 4

5 Accomplishments/Process Improvements, cont d Implementation of cloud-based request portals and internal workflow tracking Legal services request portal Caption, ordinance, or resolution assistance portal All requests captured, assigned and tracked as they are made Internal tracking of ongoing investigations Template document development for Materials Management and Economic Development Review and refinement of City-wide open records response process 5

6 Accomplishments/Process Improvements, cont d Improved written communication with City Council through weekly, and as-needed, use of legal status reports Allows critical advance look by City Council of protected documents Immediate communication on important legal issues facing the City Monthly litigation update Improved written communication with PUB through use of as-needed legal status reports Focused, cost-effective use of outside counsel Highly limited and defined engagement Detailed review of billing 6

7 Upcoming Goals/Process Improvements Evaluate and implement attorney cross-training in areas of procurement, planning and zoning and real estate Refined internal tracking of all transactional and investigative matters Implement internal tracking of litigation Development, implementation, and refinement of key performance metrics Review and refinement of request portals 7

8 Upcoming Goals/Process Improvements, cont d Development and implementation of request-based intra-departmental communication outside of Continued review and development of document templates Interdepartmental training and process development with Compliance, Risk, Materials Management, and the City Auditor Evaluation of software to capture City-wide documentation for litigation and open records requests 8

9 Budget Emphasis Develop and maintain a responsive, highly-capable, and cost-effective office of attorneys and staff through competitive salaries, increased use of technology and current topical and issue-relevant training. 9

10 Cost Containment Strategies Continue to develop in-house abilities to reduce need for, and cost of, outside counsel except when required for specialized tasks Training, process, and template document development for Materials Management, Economic Development, Development Services, and Engineering Increased use of electronic files for both use and storage Evaluation of support staff duties vs. attorneys and technology where appropriate 10

11 Position Summary Position Summary FY Actuals FY Actuals FY Actuals FY Estimate FY Baseline City Attorney Staff Attorneys Administrative Staff Office Administrator Paralegal Legal Secretaries Total FTE s

12 Budget Highlights Expenses FY Actuals FY Actuals FY Actuals FY Estimate FY Baseline Personal Services $1,837,340 $1,922,452 $1,796,678 $1,871,372 $2,232,647 Materials & Supplies 41,311 61,242 54,266 42,794 58,763 Insurance 14,339 14,382 4,221 13,014 17,466 Operations 454,056 75, , , ,755 Transfers 77,660 82,720 83,451 81,678 86,549 Total $2,424,706 $2,156,665 $2,115,592 $2,270,487 $2,600,180 12

13 Questions / Comments 13