Page 79 - Fort Worth City Budget 2019

General Fund

City Attorney

DEPARTMENT SUMMARY

FY2017 FY2018 FY2018 FY2019 Change from Adopted
Final Adopted Adjusted Adopted Amount %
Intergovernmental 317,069 319,315 319,315 338,160 18,845 5.90%
Transfer In 155 - - - - 0.00%
Revenue $ 317,224 $ 319,315 $ 319,315 $ 338,160 $ 18,845 5.90%

Salaries & Benefits 5,986,935 6,334,718 6,417,984 6,668,103 333,385 5.26%
Gen Operating & Maintenance 428,661 519,950 519,950 541,894 21,944 4.22%
Expenses $ 6,415,597 $ 6,854,668 $ 6,937,934 $ 7,209,997 $ 355,329 5.18%

FTE 51.00 51.00 0.00 0.00%

AP 51.00 51.00 0.00 0.00%

DEPARTMENT PURPOSE AND GOALS
The City Attorney’s Office, under the direction of the city attorney, is responsible for the administration of all legal
affairs of the city; city representation in all lawsuits, litigation and hearings; preparation of ordinances, contracts,
and all other legal documents; and the rendering of legal advice and opinions to the City Council, city manager,
and city departments.

The City Attorney's Office has two divisions, Transactional and Litigation, which provide transactional and advisory
services as general counsel and litigation services, handling the bulk of lawsuits in-house. Each division is
comprised of three sections based on areas of practice. Each section is supervised by a senior assistant city
attorney who acts as the section chief. In addition, two section chiefs serve on the executive team, along with the
city attorney and deputy city attorneys. Support Services provide clerical and other assistance to the attorneys in
all sections of the department.

The Transactional Division is comprised of the real estate and city facilities, land use and regulatory compliance
and general services. This division handles all city contracts, advises all city boards and commissions, and counsels
the City Council and city staff on matters relating to the administrative functions of government, such as taxation,
elections and budgeting. Outside counsel is retained only in those instances where specialized expertise is needed,
there are workload constraints, or a conflict exists.

The Litigation Division is comprised of the employment, pension and human resources, public safety and civil and
code. Attorneys in this division represent the city in cases in which the City of Fort Worth is a party. This division
also handles civil rights, code compliance, employment, general litigation, and prosecution in municipal court.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The Department has:
• Aggressively represented the city in litigation, continued to hold the line on amounts paid in settlement
or through litigated claims, and increased the handling of cases in-house. Since October 2016, the
Litigation Division has closed 203 cases with over a half that have been in favor. The City Attorney’s Office

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