AGENDA #6

February 28, 2003

Town Attorney

Initial Budget Presentation to the Mayor and Town Council

2003-2004

I.      Mission Statement: 

           The primary mission of the Office of the Town Attorney is to protect the legal interests of the Town of Chapel Hill and to provide legal services to the Town government. The Town Attorney’s Office provides legal advice to the Mayor and Town Council and to members of the Town staff and Town advisory boards and commissions on matters related to Town business.  This office is responsible for representing Town interests, or arranging for that representation, in judicial and administrative proceedings.

            II.         Brief Services Description

- Advice to the Mayor and Town Council

- Advice to the Town Manager and Departments of Town government

- Provision of day-to-day legal services to all departments of Town government

            III.       Departmental Revenue Estimates:

                        This department does not generate any revenues but may on occasion collect, through judicial proceedings, moneys owed to the Town.  The Town Manager has requested that all penalties and fees collected in zoning violation cases be used, to the extent necessary, to reimburse this department’s professional services account for legal expenses incurred in these cases to retain private counsel to represent the Town.

IV.       Departmental Base Budget Cost Estimates

Budget Category	2002-2003  Original Budget	Requested 2003-2004 Budget
Personnel	195,161	196,849
Operations	39,935	33,781
Capital Equipment	0	0
TOTAL	235,096	230,630

V. Key Programs or Services that are Going Well:  This office has an established working relationship with other departments of Town Government.  We are able to provide advice and counsel prior to action being taken rather than just dealing with issues after problems have developed.

VI. Key Programs or Services that Could be Improved.   This office can do more to promote its preventative services role and work more with risk management staff in Human Resources and other departments.

VII. Proposed Additions or Reductions:  Our request for funding for professional services has been reduced from our 2002-03 request.  Originally funding was included in our 2002-03 proposed budget for professional services costs related to the Town’s Rental Licensing Program.  The Town Manager has requested that the Inspections Department include funds for professional services related to Rental Licensing in that department’s budget request for 2003-2004.  In addition, the Housing Department has been asked to include legal expense funds in their budget request for 2003-2004 for professional services related to housing eviction matters.  To the extent it is necessary to retain private counsel to assist in these matters, funding is expected to come from those departments.

VIII. This Budget Request includes a 15.4% reduction in this department’s request for operations funds and an overall reduction of 1.9%.  Any further reductions would need to come from the funds budgeted for professional services.