City attorney requests $1.4M for four deputy‑attorney positions to support WSIP; commission asks for project‑level budget breakdown

City Attorney Dennis Herrera asked the Public Utilities Commission on Nov. 14 to authorize funding of roughly $1.4 million annually to support four deputy city‑attorney positions dedicated to the Water System Improvement Program. The request would fund two real‑estate attorneys (title, acquisitions, easements), one land‑use attorney to support environmental review and permitting, and one construction attorney to manage contract specifications and litigation.

Herrera said the funding would allow the city attorney’s office to be proactive on right‑of‑way, land‑use and construction issues and to prevent delays once regulatory processes are complete. He said the request represents a near‑term need to staff up as WSIP moves from planning into a period of multiple active project acquisitions and contract work.

Commissioners acknowledged the legal workload but asked for a programmatic, project‑by‑project allocation showing how the requested hours and dollars would be assigned across WSIP projects. President Sklar and others said they wanted the city’s chief project manager and program managers (Julie LaBonte, Harlan Kelly cited in discussion) to review and confirm the bottom‑up allocations before final approval. Herrera and the general manager agreed to return with a more detailed breakdown to be considered at the next meeting.

The commission did not vote to appropriate the $1.4 million at the Nov. 14 meeting; staff will return with the requested programmatic budget details and recommended allocation.