最新杏吧原创

In a letter sent Friday, Orwick said her office currently employs 21 full-time attorneys and two part-time retirees 鈥� a number smaller than that of the city of 最新杏吧原创 and other large jurisdictions. She said she needs help to keep up with required legal services for all of county government, as well as several high-profile lawsuits alleging civil rights and employment discrimination.

Orwick is asking the council, which has authority over her office鈥檚 budget, for an additional $276,147 to fund entry-level salaries for the remainder of the 2021 fiscal year.

The new lawyers, Orwick said, would aid the County Assessor鈥檚 office in arguing property tax appeals before the county Board of Equalization, help implement the county鈥檚 minority-participation requirements for business contracts and work on 鈥渓itigation and police disciplinary matters.鈥� The office also prosecutes ordinance violations, provides legal advice to all branches of county government and negotiates contracts.

鈥淔or several years, the demand of business has outpaced our capacity and continues to increase,鈥� Orwick said. 鈥淓very County department, board, and office relies on the work of the County Counselor鈥檚 Office. Adding staff to the Counselor鈥檚 Office would serve the County鈥檚 best interest.鈥�

Orwick has frequently reminded the council about the heavy workload her office faces. She reiterates that point in the letter, saying attorneys in her office 鈥渞outinely average 12-14 hour workdays, not including the hours they also work on weekends.鈥� Unlike lawyers in private practice, there are no bonuses. They also are not paid overtime.

The request comes after a council majority critical of Executive Sam Page鈥檚 administration denied Orwick contracts with four outside law firms, for up to $400 an hour, to defend the county in a spate of civil rights and employment discrimination lawsuits.

Council Chair Rita Heard Days, D-1st District; Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, D-4th District; Councilman Tim Fitch, R-3rd District; and Councilman Mark Harder, R-7th District voted against the request on April 27, insisting the council only approve the hires if it can set a final cap on the expenses.

The council members also said they couldn鈥檛 trust Orwick, a Page appointee, over her role in a bitter council leadership dispute that ended in March when a 最新杏吧原创 County judge ruled in the new majority鈥檚 favor. After the decision, the group adopted a nonbinding resolution declaring no confidence in Orwick鈥檚 office.

The council, under a previous four-person majority of Page allies, voted Jan. 5 to hire the four law firms 鈥� Stinson LLP, Lewis Rice LLC, Littler Mendelson PC and HeplerBroom LLC. But the deciding vote was cast by Councilwoman Rochelle Walton Gray, the District 4 representative who was defeated by Webb in the Democratic primary in August.

Gray also voted for council chair and vice chair at the Jan. 5 meeting, relying on Orwick鈥檚 advice that she was required to represent District 4 until Webb was sworn in.

A charter change, approved by voters in August, moved the start of county officeholders鈥� terms to the second Tuesday in January after the general election; before the change, those terms began on Jan. 1. Orwick also advised the charter required the council to elect leadership at its first meeting of the year.

Days, Harder, Fitch and Webb protested the decision, arguing Gray鈥檚 four-year term should have ended on Jan. 1 and that her votes after that date were illegal. After Webb was seated Jan. 12, the new majority voted to make Days the council chair and Harder the vice chair. Orwick went to court on behalf of the county to block that action, but a circuit court judge ruled Gray鈥檚 votes were illegal. After the ruling, Orwick canceled the legal contracts, then asked the council 鈥� with Webb having replaced Gray 鈥� to reauthorize them.

In her current request to hire five staff attorneys, Orwick said she was 鈥渄isappointed鈥� by the new council majority鈥檚 decision not to renew the contracts, 鈥渉owever, I listened to the debate and I heard your feedback.鈥�