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Rawlins city attorney seeks consultant legal funds and temporary law clerk amid rising workload
Summary
City Attorney Mayberry told council the office needs outside counsel and a three‑month law clerk to handle criminal prosecutions, complex contracts and an influx of public‑records requests amplified by AI; she proposed $7,000 for a summer law clerk and additional consultant legal funding.
City Attorney Mayberry asked the Rawlins City Council to approve additional resources for the attorney's office to address growing workloads and specialized legal needs.
Mayberry outlined multiple pressures: an increased daily workload on prosecutions, complex franchise and utility agreements coming before the city, community development tasks (surplus property, dangerous buildings and brownfield work) and a sharp rise in public‑records requests, which she attributed in part to greater use of AI by requestors. She recommended a modest outside‑counsel budget (a consultant legal pool) rather than adding a permanent full‑time attorney to gain subject‑matter capacity quickly and cost‑efficiently.
For immediate, short‑term support she proposed a seasonal law clerk to work roughly three months over the summer, with realistic compensation of $7,000 to account for travel and living costs for a student candidate. Mayberry said the clerk and consultant work would accelerate property recovery, help move stalled community development projects, and reduce pressure on prosecutions and records review.
Council members were shown where the city‑attorney request appears in the draft budget book (page 91) and staff confirmed proposed changes will be folded into the temporary budget for the first reading. No formal appropriation occurred at the workshop; council will decide during the budget readings.
