HomeMy WebLinkAbout10696ORDINANCE NO. 10696
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2024
STAFFING ORDINANCE BY CONVERTING ONE (1) FULL-TIME
ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY I POSITION TO A DEPUTY CITY
ATTORNEY WITHIN THE AUTHORIZED STAFFING OF THE
LAW DEPARTMENT
WHEREAS, it is necessary to revise the positions for the ultimate efficiency and
functionality for the City of Pueblo Law Department; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PUEBLO, that:
SECTION 1.
nce No. 10613, being the
2024 Staffing Ordinance, are amended as follows:
SECTION 2.
The officers and staff of the City are directed and authorized to perform any and all acts
consistent with the intent of this Ordinance to effectuate any transactions described therein.
SECTION 3.
This Ordinance shall be deemed to amend the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget and staffing with
respect to the number and allocation of positions within the Law Department and shall become
effective on the date of final action by the Mayor and City Council.
Action by City Council:
Introduced and initial adoption of Ordinance by City Council on April 08, 2024.
Final adoption of Ordinance by City Council on April 22, 2024.
____________________________
President of City Council
Action by the Mayor:
Approved on _______________.
Disapproved on ______________ based on the following objections:
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______________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________
Mayor
Action by City Council After Disapproval by the Mayor:
Council did not act to override the Mayor's veto.
Ordinance re-adopted on a vote of ____________, on _____________
____________________________
President of City Council
ATTEST
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City Clerk
City Clerk's Office Item # R11
Background Paper for Proposed
Ordinance
COUNCIL MEETING DATE: April 22, 2024
TO: President Mark Aliff and Members of City Council
CC: Mayor Heather Graham
VIA: Marisa Stoller, City Clerk
FROM: Carla Sikes, City Attorney
SUBJECT: AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2024 STAFFING
ORDINANCE BY CONVERTING ONE (1) FULL-TIME ASSISTANT CITY
ATTORNEY I POSITION TO A DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY WITHIN THE
AUTHORIZED STAFFING OF THE LAW DEPARTMENT
SUMMARY:
The City Law Department requests conversion of one full-time vacant Assistant City
Attorney I position to the classification of Deputy City Attorney to enhance the
operational efficiency of the department and meet the increased demands for legal
services within the City organization.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION:
On December 11, 2023, Ordinance No. 10613 was approved by City Council. This
Ordinance provided authorized staffing for Fiscal Year 2024.
BACKGROUND:
The Law Department is currently staffed with seven full-time attorney positions. Every
legal document, ordinance, resolution, and legal issue in the City is routed through the
Law Department for review, resolution, or approval. Within the City organization, there
are eighteen City departments with forty-eight specific functions of specialized law as
outlined below:
DEPARTMENT OR FUNCTION
Administrative Enforcement- Liquor and Marijuana
Administrative Enforcement- Abatements (including Demolitions, Lien Enforcement & Collections) and Code Enforcement
Administrative Enforcement- All other Departments
Airport
Animal Shelter
Annexations
City Clerk
City Council (Mayor/Elected Officials/Council Meetings)
City Council (Council Representation/Legislative)
Civil Service Commission
Economic Development
Finance/ARPA
Finance Business Licensing
Fire Department
Fleet
Franchises
HARP
Housing & Citizen Services
Human Resources
Human Resources Discipline
Information Technology
Labor Grievances & Arbitrations
Labor Grievances & Arbitrations Discipline
Legislation
Litigation & Liaison to Outside Counsel
Liquor Board
Marijuana Board
Mayor / Chief of Staff
Municipal Court
Municipal Court Prosecutor
Parks & Recreation
Pension Boards
Planning & Community Development (HPC)
Planning & Zoning Commission and ZBA
Police Department
Police Department Internal Affairs
Public Records CCJRA (Regular and IA)
Public Records SDTs (civil and criminal)
Public Records CORA
Public Works
Pueblo Area Council of Governments (PACOG)
Purchasing
Regional Building
Sales & Use Tax
Stormwater
Transit
Urban Renewal
Wastewater
Each attorney is assigned 7-10 departments/functions above. The assignment to staff
ratio is less than efficient, with a more appropriate ratio of 4-5 to one attorney.
The Law Department has added one attorney position in the last eight years. During
the same time period, the City organization has grown and expanded significantly, as
have the legal issues to be reviewed and resolved. An analysis of the staffing levels and
workload within the Law Department has been performed. The analysis revealed that
current service demands exceed existing staff capacity. As a result, there are delays, a
decrease in responsiveness and the excessive workload on the current attorney staff is
detrimental to the overall operational efficiency of the City.
As the previous request to City Council to add three attorneys was not supported, the
Assistant City Attorney I position to the classification of Deputy City Attorney. This will
allow more complex legal work to be disbursed within the office on a more appropriate
basis.
Additionally, the ordinance provides a consolidated classification series of an Assistant
City Attorney I/II/III to provide flexibility to hire attorneys at the appropriate level based
on legal experience and assignment area for future vacancies. This modified staffing
request will facilitate a critical rebalancing of workload and will allow the Law
Department to timelier respond to requests, to review and respond to community
development prospects, avoid preventable project delays, and minimize lost
opportunities for the City.
There will be no change in the total staffing of the Legal Department if the requested
changes are approved.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
The cost of the converted position will be the difference between the vacant Assistant
City Attorney I funding to a Deputy City Attorney classification with an estimated cost of
$60,181 for the remainder of 2024.
The department has salary savings through April of approximately $76,085.22 to cover
the conversion cost, therefore there is no additional cost for this conversion for the
remainder of 2024.
There is no cost associated with the change of the Assistant City Attorney series.
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
Not Applicable.
STAKEHOLDER PROCESS:
None.
ALTERNATIVES:
The no-action alternative would be to retain staffing levels as they are which is not
operationally beneficial given the significant demand for legal support.
RECOMMENDATION:
Approval of the Ordinance.
ATTACHMENTS:
None