Office of the City Attorney

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Office of the City Attorney Office of the City Administrator Office of the City Attorney Mike Jordan, City Administrator Robert Taylor, City Attorney Office of the City Attorney 0.3% City Budget 99.7% Legal Services 100.0% Bureau Overview Requested Revised Total Change from Percent Requirements FY 2024-25 2025-26 Prior Year Change Operating $22,554,135 $22,093,385 $(460,750) (2)% Capital Total $22,554,135 $22,093,385 $(460,750) (2)% Authorized Positions 83.50 80.50 (3.00) (3.59)% 2 City of Portland, Oregon - FY 2025-26 Requested Budget

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Office of the City Attorney Office of the City Administrator Bureau Summary Bureau Mission To provide excellent, objective, timely, and cost-effective legal advice and advocacy in support of the City’s policy goals and to ensure that the official actions of the City, its elected officials, and employees comply with the law. Bureau Overview The City Attorney’s Office is responsible for the legal affairs of the City of Portland. Nearly all the City’s programs and operations require some legal staff involvement. The Office’s client is the City itself. The Office’s attorneys are prohibited from providing legal advice to the public. The City Attorney and staff have an attorney- client relationship, which extends to the mayor, council, and employees in a position to control a decision by the City. The Office’s legal services include representing the City in a variety of areas including tort lawsuits, workers’ compensation actions, personnel actions, discrimination lawsuits, other labor matters, land use and planning appeals, public records matters, code enforcement, constitutional challenges, license fees, foreclosure and lien actions, nuisance abatement, small claims, interpleaders and civil forfeitures, real property matters, construction and contractor disputes, collections, housing issues, pension and benefit matters, environmental issues, water and natural resources law, toxic waste issues, park operations, business regulations, and fiscal and taxation matters. Executive Leadership The City Attorney’s Office is led by:  City Attorney | Robert Taylor  Chief Deputy City Attorneys | Heidi Brown, Tony García, Linda Law, Linly Rees, Naomi Sheffield, Linh Vu  Operations, Legal Assistant and Paralegal Support | Crystine Jividen, Allison McCoppen, Rachel Ruthenberg Major Work Groups Litigation Manages cases in state and federal courts with most cases handled in-house. Labor and Advises the City and defends claims against the City in arbitration or before the Employment Employment Relations Board. Public Safety and Advises public safety bureaus. Implements and represents the City in its consent Administration decree with the U.S. Department of Justice. Contracts and Advises on and approves more than 5,000 contracts annually across all areas of the Property City. 4 City of Portland, Oregon - FY 2025-26 Requested Budget

Office of the City Attorney Office of the City Administrator Land Use, Housing Advises on housing, livability, and infrastructure initiatives. Works with bureaus and Transportation and elected offices on programmatic activities. Environmental and Works on environmental causes, including the two-billion-dollar superfund Public Records cleanup, and implementing a modernized, responsive, and transparent public records program. RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS For the last decade, the City Attorney’s Office has been involved in virtually all projects of significance. In working with elected officials and bureau staff, this important work includes policy development, planning processes, regulatory compliance, legislation (city and state), contracting, capital construction, labor and collective bargaining issues, litigation and administrative proceedings. Key successes include:  Defense of major council policy initiatives, including the City’s Relocation Assistance ordinance and the Arts Tax.  Affirmative litigation to vindicate the City’s interests, including the recent settlement with Monsanto and litigation against Uber.  Negotiating labor agreements with unions, in particular to address the budget impacts of COVID-19, vaccination requirements, and to advance council policy priorities that require bargaining.  Advising the City on a new Comprehensive Plan, and successfully defending the plan on appeal, in addition to the successful defense of several important land use decisions.  Advising the City on ballot measures referred by council, including funding measures, police accountability measures, Auditor independence, and others.  Supporting the Housing Bureau to implement the Portland Housing Bond which led to the purchase, building and renovating of over 1,800 affordable homes. City of Portland, Oregon - FY 2025-26 Requested Budget 5

Office of the City Attorney Office of the City Administrator CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES The greatest challenges and opportunities are addressing the City’s many pressing legal demands, while maintaining focus on the primary issues that are of greatest concern to the community.  Navigating the various interests within City bureaus and elected offices can present a challenge and opportunity in determining how to proceed on a given project or case.  Employee recruitment, retention, and retirement in a competitive market remains a challenge.  Helping the City successfully transition to a new form of government is an important challenge.  Helping the City advance its policy goals around unsanctioned self-sited tent encampments is a legal priority.  Providing essential advice, drafting and negotiation support to implement the City’s housing policies and meet affordable housing goals.  Helping the City address crime and achieve full compliance with its obligations under the U.S. Department of Justice settlement agreement is a necessary challenge.  Advising City leaders during times of crisis through emergency declarations, planning, contracting and employee management.  In-house legal services are significantly more cost-effective and efficient than outside counsel.  About 85% of the Office’s budget covers personnel services, meaning any future cuts directly impact positions available to provide legal services to the City.  Rapidly changing technology is resulting in increased costs for legal discovery and case management software. 6 City of Portland, Oregon - FY 2025-26 Requested Budget

Office of the City Attorney Office of the City Administrator COMING TO CITY COUNCIL  Chronic nuisance code amendment to allow greater authority to address graffiti, prostitution, and housing health and safety issues.  Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing of hydroelectric dam in the Bull Run Watershed.  Updates/direction to the Portland Clean Energy Fund.  Settlements related to litigation.  Settlement with U.S. Department of Justice on consent decree regarding Portland Harbor.  Filtration plant and compliance with Oregon Health Authority Order to serve filtered water by September 2027.  Litigation regarding Portland Bureau of Transportation Streetcar Bridge ($18 million claim).  Litigation regarding Bureau of Environmental Services Lagoon ($2.8 million claim).  Affirmative litigation related to Environmental Services’ Boones Ferry ($1.8 million claim). City of Portland, Oregon - FY 2025-26 Requested Budget 7

Office of the City Attorney Office of the City Administrator Performance Measures Actuals Actuals Target Target Strategic Performance FY2022-23 FY2023-24 FY2024-25 FY2025-26 Target Efficiency Cost of service per attorney hour $192 $201 $210 $225 $225 Input Number of training hours City Attorney staff provide to City staff 432 300 300 350 350 Annual costs of outside counsel $1,377,571 $2,626,000 $2,700,000 $2,900,000 $2,000,000 Outcome Percentage of cases favorably resolved 93% 97% 95% 95% 95% Output Number of contracts reviewed and approved 6,118 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 Number of litigation cases 1,231 1,200 1,175 1,250 1,250 8 City of Portland, Oregon - FY 2025-26 Requested Budget

Office of the City Attorney Office of the City Administrator Summary of Bureau Budget Requested Requested Actuals Actuals Revised No DP Total FY2022-23 FY2023-24 FY 2024-25 2025-26 2025-26 Resources External Revenues Charges for Services 29,206 30,131 20,000 10,000 10,000 Miscellaneous 15,036 29,708 0 0 0 External Revenues Total 44,243 59,839 20,000 10,000 10,000 Internal Revenues General Fund Discretionary 3,905,376 0 5,267,053 5,091,457 4,682,434 General Fund Overhead 5,470,672 0 6,333,048 6,560,984 6,020,998 Fund Transfers - Revenue 0 0 116,472 0 0 Interagency Revenue 9,493,782 10,561,957 10,817,562 11,379,953 11,379,953 Internal Revenues Total 18,869,830 10,561,957 22,534,135 23,032,394 22,083,385 Beginning Fund Balance Resources Total 18,914,073 10,621,796 22,554,135 23,042,394 22,093,385 Requirements Bureau Expenditures Personnel Services 16,302,687 17,525,711 18,738,934 19,587,873 18,829,096 External Materials and Services 857,387 972,265 1,811,545 1,215,254 1,025,022 Internal Materials and Services 1,738,962 1,902,971 2,003,656 2,239,267 2,239,267 Bureau Expenditures Total 18,899,036 20,400,947 22,554,135 23,042,394 22,093,385 Ending Fund Balance Requirements Total 18,899,036 20,400,947 22,554,135 23,042,394 22,093,385 Programs Administration — 1,786 — — — Legal Services 18,899,036 20,399,161 22,554,135 23,042,394 22,093,385 Total Programs 18,899,036 20,400,947 22,554,135 23,042,394 22,093,385 City of Portland, Oregon - FY 2025-26 Requested Budget 9

Office of the City Attorney Office of the City Administrator FTE Summary Requested Requested Revised No DP Total Salary Range FY 2024-25 2025-26 2025-26 Class Title Min Max No. Amount No. Amount No. Amount 30003003 Administrative Specialist II 75,442 107,640 5.00 482,310 5.00 482,310 5.00 482,310 30003008 Analyst III 107,266 151,882 1.00 135,034 1.00 135,034 1.00 135,034 30003017 City Attorney 190,008 282,797 1.00 278,242 1.00 278,242 1.00 278,242 30003018 City Attorney, Assistant Deputy 107,266 151,882 1.00 109,117 1.00 109,117 0.00 0 30003019 City Attorney, Chief Deputy 172,723 250,973 6.00 1,372,904 6.00 1,372,904 6.00 1,372,904 30003020 City Attorney, Deputy 129,771 183,082 16.00 2,578,710 16.00 2,578,710 15.00 2,414,099 30003021 City Attorney, Senior Deputy 157,019 228,259 20.00 4,065,257 20.00 4,065,257 19.00 3,836,998 30003077 Legal Assistant 83,221 118,768 11.00 1,017,390 11.00 1,017,390 11.00 1,017,390 30003078 Legal Assistant Supervisor 97,510 126,693 1.00 110,427 1.00 110,427 1.00 110,427 30003081 Manager I 117,957 168,709 1.00 158,101 1.00 158,101 1.00 158,101 30003087 Paralegal 97,510 126,693 15.00 1,612,335 15.00 1,612,335 15.00 1,612,335 30003088 Paralegal Supervisor 107,266 151,882 1.00 126,360 1.00 126,360 1.00 126,360 30003950 Systems Analyst 97,510 126,693 4.00 430,207 4.00 430,207 4.00 430,207 Total Full-Time Positions 83.00 12,476,394 83.00 12,476,394 80.00 11,974,407 30003021 City Attorney, Senior Deputy 157,019 228,259 0.50 112,642 0.50 112,642 0.50 112,642 Total Part-Time Positions 0.50 112,642 0.50 112,642 0.50 112,642 Grand Total 83.50 12,589,036 83.50 12,589,036 80.50 12,087,049 10 City of Portland, Oregon - FY 2025-26 Requested Budget

Parent: City-Administrator---Volume-1 · PDF: pp. 42-50