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Corporation Counsel reports 60% caseload reduction, seeks more outside‑counsel funds for pending litigation
Summary
Peekskill’s Office of Corporation Counsel said pending claims fell from 93 to 38 over the past year after process changes, but requested an increase in the outside counsel budget to cover litigation that remains in court; the office estimates mid‑year outside‑counsel costs should decline.
Michael, the city’s Corporation Counsel, reviewed his office’s 2025 budget request and described a significant drop in pending claims after process changes.
"Last year we had 93 pending claims, cases, and matters. We're currently at 38," Michael said, characterizing the reduction as about a 60% drop and crediting more proactive resolution and targeted use of outside experts. He told the council his office has also cut recurring costs by moving to primarily electronic filing and dropping some legal‑research subscriptions.
Michael asked for an increased outside counsel appropriation to cover cases that are currently in active litigation; committee discussion listed a recommended outside‑counsel line of $185,006.25. Michael said the office expects many of those matters to resolve by mid‑year, which should lower longer‑term outside counsel spending.
Councilors asked for detail about the litigation mix and whether process changes could reduce future outside counsel dependence; Michael said the office will continue refining in‑house handling while reserving outside expertise for specialized matters.
What’s next: the corporation counsel budget line for outside counsel will be considered as part of the broader 2025 budget; the office will continue to monitor pending matters and report mid‑year results.
