City attorney analysis: charter would require change to create an independent council attorney

The committee heard a legal analysis of whether the council could establish an independent legislative attorney without amending the city charter.

Presenter Greenfield reviewed charter provisions that give the mayor appointment authority for the city attorney (with council confirmation) and detailed the duties assigned to the city attorney in the administrative code. He said the current charter does not contemplate a separate independent attorney for the council and that creating one with independent litigation authority or a separate client relationship would require a charter change.

Greenfield described alternative pathways short of a charter amendment: increasing staffing and budget allocations within the city attorney’s office to provide more capacity for council work, or refining the administrative code and timing of legal sufficiency memos to reduce project bottlenecks. He also summarized examples from other cities (Seattle, New Orleans, Jacksonville) that offer different, constrained models of legislative legal support.