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Council reviews change to police charter language and discovery‑funded administrative position
Summary
An ordinance would change a miswritten charter title from “discovery officer” to “administrative assistant (discovery),” aligning civil service classification with a governor‑funded discovery grant. Police leaders said the discovery workload is labor‑intensive and currently handled as part of a secretarial job.
Council considered RL25‑35, an ordinance amending charter language to correct a job title created for discovery work to an administrative assistant classification.
Police Chief Joe Sakowski said the phrase “discovery officer” was mistakenly placed in the charter; the position was reviewed with civil service and should be classified as an administrative assistant who performs discovery duties (gathering officer notes, body‑worn camera footage, reports and other materials required by new discovery laws for prosecution and defense). Chief Sakowski said the discovery process is time‑consuming, especially given the department’s volume of cases, and the work is currently handled by a secretarial position that absorbs the tasks in addition to other duties.
Council member Rathmell asked about the function and whether the work is full time. Sakowski said the title was an administrative error and that the department intends to make the function clearer in the budget and classification so the city can post and recruit for the position; he said the district attorney’s office has agreed to fund the next year as well. Council members asked whether the position would be covered under the PBA or other unions; Sakowski said it would be “management tested.”
Sakowski and councilors discussed an overall discovery grant the chief said totals about $82,000; Sakowski described roughly $45,000 for salary and the remainder as fringe and benefits. Council members asked for clarity about hiring, posting and where the grant money is recorded in the budget. The chief said the position would be posted through civil service and the department may backfill the incumbent’s current duties from within existing ranks.
No formal vote was recorded at the work session; the item was presented for background before formal legislation at the council’s regular meeting.
