Friday, August 13, 1999
Lebanon may get assistant city attorney
BY DAVID ECK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON — Lebanon could get a full-time assistant city attorney in the coming months, but the budget shouldn't take a beating.
City council at its Aug. 24 meeting is set to take the final reading on an ordinance to hire the assistant city attorney. That person, who is expected to be paid $52,000 to $58,000 a year, will work under Law Director William Duning and be groomed to replace Mr. Duning when he retires in about a year.
Mr. Duning receives a salary as law director, but the bulk of his pay is through hours billed to the city. He also has a private practice.
The assistant will handle most new matters that are now done by Mr. Duning and other outside lawyers, drastically reducing the amount the city spends on legal fees. Lebanon spends about $230,000 a year for all legal services, said Councilman John McComb.
“We're going to spend approximately the same this way as we did the old way,” Mr. McComb said. “We get a little more bang for our buck. They'll be there eight hours a day for our staff.”
That's the added improvement, council members said.
“When you put it all in-house you've got better control over what's going on,” said Councilman Mark Flick. “We're going to pick up the benefit of assistance to the staff.”
The city will advertise the position statewide and members of the Warren County Bar Association will receive a mailed advertisement. The new hire could in place by mid-October.
“It was really mostly an economic decision,” Mr. Flick said. “It picks us up full-time in-house versus part time. Therefore a lot of the consultant hours that are being spent will ultimately drop away.”
The new hire will work for Lebanon and will not be allowed to have a private practice, council members said.
The situation also came up because Mr. Duning, who has worked for Lebanon for 30 years, is getting ready to retire. “You couldn't ask for a better situation for the city,” Mr. McComb said. “And to have it not cost us any more money is a beauty for the budget.”
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