1. City of Loveland City council City Attorney selection process
January 10, 2017

2. Background City Attorney vacancy effective November 10, 2016
Proposed recruitment timeline and job description provided on October 27, 2016
City Council provided subsequent information requesting further discussion related to the position and City Attorney’s Office in-house service model versus an outsourced contract model

3. Overview Current Service Model In-house Selection Process
Outsource Analysis
Outsource Cost Comparison
Value Comparison
Council Discussion and Direction

4. Current City Attorney Office Model
9 FTE’s with a 2017 budget of $1.3 million
“City Attorney serves as chief legal adviser for the City, shall advise the Council and other City officials in matters relating to their official powers and duties, and shall perform other duties as may be designated by Council.”
Assistant City Attorney I and II’s:
Assigned departments to become specialized in each respective area
Provide litigation and specialized legal services
Municipal prosecution and opportunity to provide alternate prosecution programs
Attorneys are cross-trained to provide more than one advisor/expert in various city functions
Attorneys provide training support to various city departments
Paralegal and Legal Assistant support City Attorney’s Office and fulfill office administration functions
City Attorney
Assistant City Attorney II
Assistant City Attorney II (vacant)
Assistant City Attorney I
Assistant City Attorney I – Municipal Prosecution
Paralegal
Legal Assistant

5. In-house Selection Process
External Recruitment
Council direction to contract with executive recruitment firm
Internal Recruitment
Updated recruitment timeline
Draft recruitment timeline, subject to change based on council direction
Estimated time to fill is between three to four months
City Attorney Job Description
Includes minor changes from previous City Attorney review
Clarification on residency in City of Loveland is requested
Recruitment Brochure
The “position and ideal candidate” included is a draft, subject to change based on council direction, to be used within the recruitment brochure
This document also outlines for council the job advertising strategy

6. Outsourcing Analysis
Comparable Colorado Cities with in-house City Attorney services, including respective population. Loveland’s population estimate for 2017 is 75,612
Top 15 Colorado cities by population have City Attorney and City Attorney staff in-house, with the exception of Lakewood
Identified Colorado Cities outsourcing City Attorney services, including respective population and related costs.
City service levels vary, with many not operating their own utilities
Arvada
Aurora
Boulder
Broomfield
Fort Collins
Greeley
Longmont
Thornton
Westminster
109,157
339,030
103,166
63,860
155,400
100,596
91,911
123,648
108,807
Louisville
Northglenn
Lakewood
Lafayette
Population
19,588
36,891
147,220
28,278
Services Outsourced
All City Attorney/Legal Services
Primarily City Attorney Only; limited other attorney support
2016 YTD Expense
$300,000.00
$253,000.00
$329,293.00
$236,468.00

7. Outsourcing Cost Comparison
Position
City Staff
Average Annual Salary/Benefits
Service Contract
Annualized Outsource 40 hours per week
Cost/(Savings)
City Attorney
$203,098.43
$414,600.00
$ (211,501.57)
Assistant City Attorney II
$123,979.38
$405,600.00
$ (281,620.62)
Assistant City Attorney I
$107,542.70
$343,200.00
$ (235,657.30)
Paralegal/legal Assistant
$75,214.73
$187,200.00
$ (111,985.27)
Total Estimated Savings (In-House versus Outsourcing per position)
$(840,764.76)
Outsource rates do not include mileage reimbursement for travel or other misc. charges and are based on survey data collected from other cities using contract services (Source is Lakewood and Lafayette)
In-house rates do not include costs for Attorney CLE’s
Recommend a full study of current services and baseline costs for outsourcing same services or reduced services to determine detailed cost/benefit analysis

8. Value Comparison In-House Outsource
Institutional knowledge and in-house expertise
Multiple areas of specialized expertise: Multiple firms and/or RFP process for services to determine lowest costs possible with performance measures
Less management of outside counsel scope/costs
On-site staff contract manager to monitor scope/assignments/costs, including coordination with departments billed for services
Exempt employees, not subject to overtime hourly expenses
Typically hourly rates for contract services at various costs depending on level of expertise
Continuity and in-depth knowledge of issues provided by assigned attorney
Third-party perspective: highest objective view possible
Accessibility of attorneys to provide recommendations, direction and be present for meetings, etc.
Greater risk exposure, possible shift in culture where staff may not seek as much legal advice due to costs and/or turn-around time, limited community engagement
City expenses incurred for continuing education (CLE’s) and overhead
Contract costs are typically hourly rates with reimbursement for travel/meetings, copies, etc.

9. Council Discussion and questions
Confirm Council Direction