Page 357 - FortWorthFY23AdoptedBudget

Horizon Issues

Horizon Issues

Overview
As part of the annual budget development process, departments within the City analyze their short-term budget
needs in the context of its long-term goals and objectives. Choices made by the departments today impact future
resources, so it is important for Council and staff to discuss how various horizon issues can best be anticipated.
The summaries below focus on each department’s future considerations based on expected outcomes, trends,
and potential influences that must be managed. The various factors reviewed change annually as the City adjusts
its plans to minimize negative impacts, the scenarios change, and new information is provided

General Fund Departments

City Attorney’s Office
An increase in construction contracts and real estate transactions due to the growth of the City and the
implementation of the Capital Improvement Program has resulted in the need to dedicate additional attorneys to
these areas.

The creation of new departments continues to increase the work load for attorneys as each department develops
its own scope of work. Additional programs and functions have been added in almost every department. Each of
these programs and functions require legal review and advice.

The number of public information requests handled by the City Attorney’s Office has increased 22% between 2015
– 2020, with a high in FY20 of 1,339 requests handled by the department. This number is expected to continue to
grow in the upcoming years. The increase in requests has a direct impact on the already heavy workload of
departmental support staff.

The number of contracts the City has entered into and filed at the City Secretary’s Office has increased by 88.5%
and will continue to increase as Fort Worth’s population grows and with the change in purchasing procedures that
requires a contract, rather than purchase orders, for any purchase that has a service component. The increase in
contracts resulting from the American Rescue Plan Act will continue to create additional contracts and more legal
work for our attorneys.

Municipal Court duties shifted to the prosecutors continues to create additional work for our office. Also, the
number of criminal discovery requests at Municipal Court continues to increase. Despite the decrease in the
citations filed, the prosecutors and support staff must spend an inordinate amount of time complying with
discovery requests.

There has been an increase in the number of condemnation cases which are labor intensive and must meet
statutory requirements. In 2013, the City filed two condemnations, none in 2014, two in 2015, five in 2016, five in
2017, one in 2018, and none in 2019. Between the end of 2020 and April 2, 2021, the City Council has authorized
sixteen condemnations. This trend is expected to continue.

The Employment Section will need to devote a majority of its time and resources to the defense of three ongoing
whistleblower lawsuits brought by one attorney. These cases require significantly more work than most

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