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City attorney seeks two additional legal assistants tied to potential sixth justice court judge
Summary
The city attorney's office proposed a FY27 general‑fund increase of 1.62% to support 74.5 FTEs, including funding for two 10‑month legal assistant positions (~$127,000) intended to support the prosecutor's office if a sixth justice court judge staff plan proceeds; presenters warned that loss of federal victim‑advocate grants would shift critical work onto attorneys.
City attorney leadership presented the office's FY27 general fund budget at the June 2 work session, outlining a modest increase (1.62%) that primarily reflects personnel costs and vacancy savings categorization changes.
Key staffing request
The request adds two legal assistant positions (10 months funded in FY27 at a combined cost of approximately $127,000) to support courtroom operations and prosecutors; presenters said the positions align with workload tied to an anticipated sixth justice court judge. City attorneys said the new positions would be paid for through the proposed property‑tax increase.
Retention and recruitment
Presenters discussed retention challenges in prosecution and civil practice and described human resources work on career ladders and classifications to improve long‑term retention. The office highlighted a robust clerkship and pipeline program that has helped recruit junior attorneys.
Victim advocate grant risk
Council members asked about the continued availability of federal victim‑advocate grant funds that support domestic‑violence and victim outreach services tied to prosecution. City prosecutors warned that if grant funding ended, attorneys would need to absorb the work — interviews noted the particular value of advocates in U‑visa and immigration assistance work for victims.
Budget framing
The presentation emphasized operational efficiencies (software and categorization of expenses) and said the funding would make attorney workloads more manageable; presenters also said vacancy savings were being used to tighten operating budgets.
Next steps
No vote was taken at the work session. The office will return as part of the formal budget process; council members asked for additional details about retention strategies and contingency plans if grant funds decline.
