MEMO TO: Members of the City Council
FROM: Mayor John Marchione
SUBJECT:
title
Approval of .5FTE Deputy Prosecutor Position Request and Adoption of FY 17-18 Budget Amendment Ordinance
1. ORDINANCE NO. 2885: An Ordinance Amending Ordinance No. 2866, as Amended by Ordinance No. 2868 and 2880, by Making Adjustments to the City’s 2017-2018 Biennial Budget, in Exhibit 1
I. RECOMMENDED ACTION
recommendation
Approve .5FTE Deputy Prosecutor position request, and adopt the accompanying budget ordinance to amend the adopted FY 17-18 biennial budget.
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II. DEPARTMENT CONTACTS
Jane Christenson, 425-556-2107 jchristenson@redmond.gov
III. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND
The City of Redmond Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (PAO) has been staffed with 2.5 prosecutor positions (1 Prosecutor and 1.5 Deputy Prosecutors) for several years. In the FY 13-14 biennium, the City reduced the .5 Deputy Prosecutor position due to reduced caseload volume, most notably the reduction in traffic infractions following the discontinuation of the City’s pilot red light camera program. At the time of the reduction, the two Deputy Prosecutors agreed to job share the single full-time position.
With the late 2016 resignation of one Deputy Prosecutor, and the increased workload due to both regional King County court initiatives and the POA-Redmond Police Department (RPD) process improvement/LEAN Team implementation, the administration has requested that the Council restore the .5 Deputy Prosecutor position, together with the requisite budget ordinance to provide funding for the FY 17-18 biennium.
IV. PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS HELD
This issue was reviewed with both the Finance, Administration, and Communications Committee (April 24, 2017) and the Public Safety Committee (May 16, 2017). As part of this discussion, staff shared the POA/RPD process improvement/LEAN team efforts, as well as the other regional King County court initiatives driving the need for additional prosecutor staffing, including a potential community court, technology transitions to a new caseload management system, and the newly implemented video arraignment procedures.
V. IMPACT
A. Service/Delivery:
Since the FY 13-14 staffing reduction, both the PAO and the RPD have experienced strains in their cooperative working relationship. Challenges include a lack of standard procedures, redundant processes, inefficient use of technology and a lack of timely communication for successful training and prosecution/adjudication of misdemeanor cases.
To address these issues, a joint POA-RPD process improvement/LEAN team was convened in the fall of 2016 to engage in training and work flow analysis to improve the working relationship. Through these efforts, four key areas were identified for improvement: culture, standards, training, and technology, as well as the associated performance metrics to track continued progress over time. In order to fully implement the improvements identified, additional staffing is needed - thus this request.
B. Fiscal Note:
Restoring the .5 Deputy Prosecutor position for a full biennium constitutes an approximate impact of $150,000. Given the position will be filled for a partial biennium, actual impact for FY 17-18 are estimated to be approximately $100,000.
VI. ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
If the FY 17-18 biennial budget amendment is approved, staff can proceed with process improvement/LEAN team implementation efforts, as well as the King County regional court initiatives. If the funding is not approved, the PAO’s staff capacity to fully implement the above-noted activities will be limited.
VII. TIME CONSTRAINTS
There are no time constraints to this recommended action, though approval will allow for a more expeditious implementation of the above-noted improvements and initiatives.
VIII. LIST OF ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: LEAN Principles for “Justice League” & Key Areas for Improvement
Attachment B: FY 17-18 Budget Adjustment Ordinance, with Exhibit 1