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City Attorney warns election costs rising; office says workload remains 'responsive' as hires, interns added
Summary
City Attorney Mike Lyles told the Finance Committee the Office of Law's FY2026 budget totals about $2.8 million and that election-related costs could rise to roughly $200,000, an uncertain estimate. Lyles described staffing changes, summer interns, and defended the office's nonpolitical role amid questions about reporting lines.
The Annapolis Finance Committee heard a presentation from City Attorney Mike Lyles on April 22, 2025, who said the Office of Law is operating on a $2.8 million budget and warned that new county and state charges for elections could increase local costs to about $200,000.
Lyles said the $200,000 figure is an estimate. "What they provided us so far is in the neighborhood of about $150,000 of costs to them county and state election officials so we enhanced that as an estimate to 200,000," Lyles said. He added the office cannot say the number with "any degree of certainty" until final invoices are received.
The attorney's office reported that about 75% of its budget is salary and wages, with roughly $170,000 set aside for contract legal services. Lyles described the office's workload as primarily reactive: "A law office really is responsive more so than it is proactive," he said, noting benchmarks such as a 30-day target to draft legislation and statutory timelines for MPIA responses.
The presentation covered recent staffing moves. Lyles said the newly hired attorney, Bianca Smith, brings roughly seven years' experience and will cost less than her predecessor because the predecessor had accrued merit increases; Lyles said this saved about $40,000 compared with the prior incumbent. He also described the office's summer internship program: "We hire college students and law students to provide additional administrative support during the summer," with interns paid about $20–$25 per hour for roughly 20 hours weekly (about $6,000 per intern over three months).
Committee members pressed Lyles and budget manager Jake Trudeau for detail on what drove the department's personnel numbers in the budget book — including how titles changed after the class-and-comp study and whether certain temporary or contract positions should appear as FTEs. Trudeau acknowledged the presentation included an intern line that may have been inconsistent with other departments and said staff would correct it.
Members also debated the city attorney's reporting relationship. Committee members asked whether the city attorney should report to the city manager rather than sit in the mayor's office. Lyles replied that, while the city's charter provides for day-to-day supervision by the mayor, "our allegiance is to the city council and the taxpayers through the city council," and that the office would continue to operate nonpolitically regardless of where it sits.
The committee did not take a formal vote on departmental staffing at the hearing; managers said they would supply follow-up documentation to explain title changes and staffing-line treatments in the budget book.
Ending: The committee asked the Office of Law to provide a written breakdown reconciling the budget book titles with the class-and-comp study and to clarify whether the intern line should remain in the department summary. Lyles and Trudeau agreed to return with the requested details.
