Discuss, consider, and take appropriate action to approve an exception to the 15% rule in advance and request FY ‘23 “position conversion” (PCN0082) in the District Attorney’s Office.

Summary of Position Conversion Request
Current Position                      Converted Position
Legal Assistant III                    Legal Assistant IV
B.23                                         B.25
$55,907.30 Current Salary      $55,000.00 Requested Salary
Intake Division                        Special Victim Unit (SVU)

One of our administrative employees retired in March 2022. While the pandemic has created an enormous backlog in the criminal justice system, the proliferation of our Digital Evidence Management System has allowed us to stave off immediate requests for additional administrative staff.  Upon evaluation of the current workflow within our office, The District Attorney is requesting conversion of the vacant  PCN0082 from a B.23 Legal Assistant III to a B.25 Legal Assistant IV in the FY ’23 budget.

As this position is currently vacant we have the opportunity to fill this position under current salary dollars with no impact to this year or next year’s budget with a candidate perfectly qualified to fill the role of a Legal Assistant IV to assist our Special Victim’s Unit (SVU).  The current position was assigned as a legal assistant III in our Intake Division. The District Attorney has determined that our SVU needs administrative support. The SVU currently includes three prosecutors and an investigator. This position will be assigned to the SVU and cover victim assistance and court assistant responsibilities, in addition to intake, for the SVU.  The additional scope of the position warrants conversion of the position from a Legal Assistant III to a Legal Assistant IV.

The District Attorney posted the vacant position and, after conducting interviews, has identified a candidate who exceeds the qualifications and expectations of the SVU legal assistant. The District Attorney is anxious for the candidate to begin work in our office on April 18, 2022.
The District Attorney requests onboarding the new employee with a salary of $55,000.  If this position were converted to the requested B.25, the funds are budgeted on vacant PCN0082 ($55,907.30) and the salary is within policy (less than 12% above the $49,153.90 minimum). As the position is currently classified (B.23) the request for using already allocated funds is about 23% over the minimum.

This request has been vetted with Human Resources who recommended the conversion.