Title
Hearing to consider request from the District Attorney for the expenditure of the State Fiscal Year 2006/2007 Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund allocation in the amount of $66,565, including accured interest; and District Attorney recommending (1) Resolution 230-2007 be adopted amending Authorized Personnel Allocation Resolution by adding one (1) Deputy District Attorney I/IV position for the District Attorney's Office; (2) Chairman be authorized to sign Budget Transfer 28020 establishing revenues and expenditures for same; and (3) perpetual Agreement 317-S0111 with Constellation Integration Services, Inc. dba Constellation Justice Systems (DAMION Case Management System) be continued.
FUNDING: Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund (SLESF)
Body
BUDGET SUMMARY: |
|
|
Total Estimated Cost |
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$66,565 |
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|
|
Funding |
|
|
Budgeted |
$ |
|
New Funding |
$66,565 |
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Savings |
$ |
|
Other |
$ |
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Total Funding Available |
$66,565 |
|
Change To Net County Cost |
|
$0 |
Fiscal Impact/Change to Net County Cost: None
Reason for Recommendation:
SLESF
The El Dorado County District Attorney's office has $66,565 in special revenue funds from the FY 2006/2007 state budget (SLESF). This program was initiated in FY 1996/1997 under AB 3229.
June 30, 2008 is the deadline for using the funding. If not used, it must be returned to the state. I propose to budget the full amount in the current fiscal year.
AB 3229, the legislation that created the program, requires that all the funds provided be earmarked "exclusively to provide front line law enforcement services." This money "shall supplement existing services and shall not be used to supplant any existing funding for law enforcement services."
The Board is required to appropriate these monies in response to a written request from the District Attorney, after conducting a public hearing in the month of September. This request must be considered "separate and apart from the process applicable to proposed allocations of the county general fund."
Use of Funds
During the past few years, SLESF monies have funded installation and training for the DAMION case management system and numerous and important hardware and software upgrades to DAMION. For example, we worked together with Constellation Justice Systems (creators of DAMION) to design an electronic discovery module that became operational in July 2004. That module is currently being implemented in other counties and cities throughout the country
In order to continue to improve our case management operations, we propose to use a portion of the SLESF funds this year ($16,565) to finance additional upgrades and enhancements to the DAMION system and the hardware and software that support it.
The remaining $50,000 is recommended to fund a portion of a full-time deputy district attorney, replacing the current use of extra help to fund a Deputy District Attorney position.
These enhancements and related budget are summarized as follows:
Full-time deputy district attorney (eight months) |
50,000 |
DAMION Enhancements: |
|
Upgrade to version 4.3 |
5,000 |
Interface to sheriff's jail system |
6,000 |
Other requested system modifications |
5,565 |
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|
Total |
66,565 |
Deputy District Attorney
Our ongoing practice of using part-time extra help to meet minimum attorney staffing requirements is not working. With Board approval this proposal will eliminate the use of extra help to provide a position and replace that extra help with a permanent, full-time Deputy District Attorney.
Extra Help staff are required to take one month off during the year. We can not afford to disrupt our operations with the loss of one month of prosecutor time. Hiring qualified extra help staff is also difficult since we are unable to offer all employee benefits to an extra help position.
Total cost is projected at $87,000 for eight months. The SLESF contribution will be $50,000; the Budget Addenda will include a $37,000 increase to the district attorney's budget.
Perpetual Agreement 317- S0111
Agreement# 317-S0111 between the county and Constellation Justice Systems was originally approved by the Board on January 23, 2001and authorizes $100,000 annually for consulting, implementation, education and training. As noted above, this office has, and plans to continue, working with Constellation to implement significant upgrades to the DAMION case management system under this agreement.