I will be evaluating some of the different city departments and the salaries. The numbers are interesting, especially when it comes to upper management and the recent denial of a 3% COLA to the FOP.
Today we will look at the city department that seems to have a habit of contracting out the ‘tough cases’ to other law firms. The city spends millions each year contracting out legal work that could be easily handled by our city attorney’s office. If there was only one city attorney, I would understand all of the contract work, but quite the opposite.
Of the 15 employees in the office, 8 of them are attorneys that make close to or over 6 figures a year making about $967K of the 1.3 million dollar salary budget.
I’m starting to wonder if the city should have only one main attorney with a couple of assistants instead of so many, and contract out all of our cases (which we do anyway).
Here is the full doc: 2017-Wages
Way too much money in park and library administration. Way too little money for laborers in all departments.
I would also drain some payroll out of the water department and move it over to street workers.
What happened? For Munson there was a city attorney, an assistant attorney, and a legal assistant. From 3 to 15, how and why? Rarely does an attorney from the city try a case. It’s contracted. City ordinance prevents citizen appeals into court. Cases are constitutional and infrequent. This department will be the first deep cut when the new mayor takes office.
If I went to 7 years of college & law school, I would hope to make a good wage. Thought it was supposed to work that way.
I would agree Don, I would also expect them to work for that salary not just contract it out. Maybe we need purchasing agents in the attorneys office instead of attorneys.
Lawyers are like deer. They’re blinded by the spotlight. Sometimes, when there’s to many, there must be an extra season.
When something is proven completely absolutely right, a lawyer argues why it’s right.