Fact:
IS THERE REALLY
A PROBLEM?
Myth:
The City's current model of legal services has been making costs go up!
Costs of legal services are a function of use, not an organizational chart.
When we look at the whole picture, investments in legal services has helped total personnel costs go down.
Although the City has spent more on legal services, that is a very small portion of the City's personnel costs.
(Source: West Linn City budget documents and adjustments, 2009-2019. www.westlinnoregon.gov)
And when comparing the costs of personnel services plus attorney fees to West Linn's population growth, the spending is completely stable:
(Sources: West Linn City budget documents and adjustments, 2009-2019. www.westlinnoregon.gov; U.S. Census Bureau for population figures; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for inflation adjustment)
And when comparing the costs of these services to workload, as determined by the number of permit applications made each year, the total costs are actually decreasing over time:
(Sources: West Linn City budget documents and adjustments, 2009-2019. www.westlinnoregon.gov; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for inflation adjustment)
Don't be fooled by cherry-picked data that only looks at attorneys fees. When we see the whole picture, the City's investments in legal services have saved costs elsewhere.
No one can definitively predict the future. Costs if Measure 3-552 passes may go up, down, or stay the same. But the information we do have suggests that the current system is saving taxpayer dollars.
After reviewing potential cost drivers and city-to-city comparisons, Mayor Axelrod in August suggested an RFP be issued so the Council could compare actual cost and service options but this has not been followed up on by the full Council.
