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AGENDA ITEM REVIEW FORM |
6.C.
Special City Council Meeting
- Meeting Date:
- 08/21/2024
- Department Head:
- Kay Macuil
- Submitted By:
- Kay Macuil, City Attorney, Attorney's Office
Action Requested:
Motion
ITEM:
Discussion and possible action on any and all matters regarding allocating the vacant full-time Assistant City Attorney's salary budget to a full-time paralegal salary and to outside counsel. (Kay Marion Macuil, City Attorney)
SUMMARY:
The City Council approved salary budgets for the City Attorney's Office to fund a full-time Assistant City Attorney in the fiscal years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. Despite its best efforts, the city could not recruit a candidate for the position after more than a year. Due to the volume of projects needing legal work, review, and input, staff sought alternative solutions to respond to the needs. It was determined that a full-time paralegal and outsourcing some legal work to a law firm would address the needs.
Although the paralegal position is new to the civil side of the City Attorney's Office, the position has existed for years for the Prosecutor's Office, a Division of the City Attorney's Office.
The paralegal position was posted, with the thought that recruitment would take a while and staff would have time to take this item to the City Council. However, we were fortunate that a well-qualified candidate was identified quickly. He accepted the position on August 13, 2024, and his start date is September 9, 2024.
Any engagement of a law firm for outside counsel is pending the City Council's decision on this item.
Although the paralegal position is new to the civil side of the City Attorney's Office, the position has existed for years for the Prosecutor's Office, a Division of the City Attorney's Office.
The paralegal position was posted, with the thought that recruitment would take a while and staff would have time to take this item to the City Council. However, we were fortunate that a well-qualified candidate was identified quickly. He accepted the position on August 13, 2024, and his start date is September 9, 2024.
Any engagement of a law firm for outside counsel is pending the City Council's decision on this item.
RECOMMENDATION / SUGGESTED MOTION:
I MOVE TO APPROVE ALLOCATING THE ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY'S SALARY BUDGET TO A SALARIED PARALEGAL AND OUTSIDE COUNSEL, AS STATED IN THE FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT.
Fiscal Impact
- IS THERE FISCAL IMPACT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ITEM:
- Yes
- CITY/STATE/FEDERAL FUNDS:
- City
- TOTAL:
- $117,500.00
- BUDGETED AMOUNT:
- $117,500.00
- AVAILABLE AMOUNT TO TRANSFER:
- Please see the Fiscal Impact Statement
- ACCT NAME & GL#/REMAINING BALANCE BEFORE PURCHASE:
- Please see the Fiscal Impact Statement
FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT (IF THIS IS A BUDGET TRANSFER, YOU MUST ATTACH THE BUDGET ADJUSTMENT FORM):
The total salary budget for the Assistant City Attorney position, including benefits, is $117,500.00. The budget allocated for the Paralegal position, including benefits, is $67,500.00. We are requesting that the City Council authorize a budget transfer of $50,000.00 from the remaining balance of the salaries account (GL100-117-50000) associated with the City Attorney position to the Legal Services account (GL 100-117-80003).