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Code Enforcement Legal Services Additional Position Request and Position Renaming in County Attorney’s Office
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INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lee Jenson, Planning Director, 704-283-3564; Julie Broome, Human Resources Director, 704-283-3869; Jason Kay, County Attorney, 704-283-3784
ACTION REQUESTED:
1) Authorize the addition of two FTEs (full-time equivalency) in the County Attorney’s Office for the following job classifications:
• 1 Assistant County Attorney
• 1 Paralegal;
2) Update the Pay and Classification plan to include new job classifications as follows:
• Senior Assistant County Attorney - Pay Grade S
• Assistant County Attorney - Pay Grade Q;
3) Update the Pay and Classification plan to remove the following job classifications:
• Senior Staff Attorney - Pay Grade S
• Staff Attorney - Pay Grade Q; and
4) Adopt Special Revenue Ordinance 94E and Budget Amendment 4.
PRIOR BOARD ACTIONS:
None.
BACKGROUND:
For litigation related to enforcement of Building Code, Zoning/Planning, Environmental Health, and solid waste code violations, the County has historically contracted with outside counsel to provide such legal services.
However, due to the increasing volume of enforcement cases and time needed to address these issues, bringing these enforcement litigation services in-house will provide overall benefit to the County and reduce costs. This change will provide improved budget stability, increased efficiency, and strengthened communication and collaboration opportunities. The monetary savings yielded by shifting away from the contract legal services model will fully fund the new positions, allow for significantly decreased hourly legal service costs, and increase the County’s ability to meet the increasing volume of enforcement cases in a cost-effective manner.
The positions will be funded through ARPA Investment Earnings in FY25. In future fiscal years, the positions will be funded through inspections department fees and projected reduction in expenses for contracted outside counsel. The positions will be filled, trained, and deployed as soon as practicable while taking into account department and service transition needs. No new funding is required for these positions and is projected to reduce overall expenses.
Additionally, to conform the titles of attorneys in the County Attorney’s office with that of the County Attorney and to allow proactive resolution of questions on court pleadings, settlement documents, and external negotiations, this item also clarifies that the title and authority of internal legal counsel for the County. These positions will be revised from “Staff Attorney” and “Senior Staff Attorney” to “Assistant County Attorney” and “Senior Assistant County Attorney,” respectively.
The County will also make corresponding revisions to existing external and internal communications to provide greater consistency and public clarity.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No new funding required. Existing funding in ARPA Investment Earnings has been identified within the FY25 budget for this request.