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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Additional funding for prosecution assistance for Legal Department RESOLUTION NO. 17-707 RESOLUTION APPROVING ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR PROSECUTION ASSISTANCE FOR LEGAL DEPARTMENT FOR THE CITY OF AMES WHEREAS, on July 25, 2017,the Council approved additional funding to continue the contract with the Coppola Law Firm for criminal prosecution assistance while the Legal Department was short staffed; and, WHEREAS, the Council approved $30,000 for outside counsel to handle criminal prosecutions and $25,000 for outside counsel to handle periodic civil matters; and, WHEREAS, funding for outside counsel for criminal prosecutions has totaled $158,000 from March 2016 to date; and, WHEREAS, the current City Attorney was hired by the City Council on November 1, 2017, creating a vacancy in one of the two Assistant City Attorney positions; and, WHEREAS, the opening has been advertised, and the recruitment closes on December 18; and, WHEREAS,the Legal Department anticipates that interviews willtake place inearlyJanuary2018, and that a new Assistant City Attorney will be hired and begin working sometime in February or March 2018; and, WHEREAS,the use ofoutside counselfor criminal prosecutions has provided significant assistance to the Legal Department while it has been short staffed, and the Department estimates that the funds for the outside criminal prosecutor will be exhausted at the end of December; and, WHEREAS, the funding that was approved by the City Council in July was estimated to last through the end of the 2017 calendar year; and, WHEREAS, the Legal Department is now seeking an additional$30,000 to pay for the outside counsel to continue through the end of March;this should allow for some overlap for the outside counsel to train the new Assistant City Attorney. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council ofthe City of Ames, Iowa, that the additional funding request of$30,000 for the Legal Department to hire outside counsel to assist with criminal prosecution assistance is hereby approved. ADOPTED THIS 19th day of December, 2017. ci�5�11�R liaa--" —A. Diane R. Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor Introduced by: Gartin Seconded by: Corrieri Voting aye: Beatty-Hansen, Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin,Nelson, Orazem Voting nay: None Absent: None Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 19th day of December, 2017.