CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA

AGENDA BILL

AB 1012
September 1, 2015
Consent

TO:

Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

FROM:

Douglas Schmitz, City Administrator

SUBJECT:

Approve Response to the Monterey County Civil Grand Jury Findings and
Recommendations

AMOUNT OF EXPENDITURE

$ N/A

AMOUNT BUDGETED

$ N/A

APPROPRIATION REQUIRED

$ N/A

RECOMMENDATION
1) Accept the proposed responses from the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea to each of the Findings and
Recommendations contained in the Monterey County Civil Grand Jury's Report of June 2015
and authorize the Mayor to sign the cover letter on behalf of the City Council;
2) Authorize the City Administrator to forward the responses and the cover letter to the Presiding
Judge of the Monterey County Superior Court;
3) Instruct that a copy of the response be placed on file in City Hall by the City Clerk.

SUMMARY
In late 2014, the City Council requested the Monterey County Civil Grand Jury (CGJ) to " ... review our
organization , our corrective actions and make any additional recommendations ." A citizens group also
requested the CGJ to examine certain aspects of City actions. The CGJ pursued the requests and in
June 2015 issued its report. According to the Penal Code, the City has 90 days from receipt of the CGJ
Report to respond to each of the Findings and Recommendations.
The Mayor appointed a committee of himself and Mayor ProTem Talmage, City Attorney Freeman,
City Treasurer Sandys and the City Administrator to prepare responses for consideration by the
Council. The Penal Code stipulates that the "governing body (City Council) of the public agency shall
comment to the presiding judge of the superior court on the findings and recommendations pertaining
to matters under the control of the governing body."

PRIOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION

4 November 2014---Council authorized Mayor to send request to the CGJ.

Council Meeting Date: 09/01/2015

Agenda Item: 20
Page 1

ATTACHMENTS

1. Cover Letter
2. Responses to the Findings and Recommendations of the CGJ.
3. Exhibit A- Response by former-Mayor Sue McCloud

Date:

,:? zL(q~
I

Council Meeting Date: 09/0 1/20 15

Agenda Item : 20
Page 2

ATTACHMENT -1

CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
P.O. Box CC
Carmel, CA 93921

September 1, 2015

Honorable Marla 0 . Anderson, Presiding Judge

Salinas Courthouse
240 Church Street
Salinas, CA 93901
Dear Judge Anderson,
In November 2014 , the City Council of Carmel by the Sea requested the Monterey County Civil Grand
Jury (CGJ) to "review our organization , our corrective actions and make any additional
recommendations." Concurrently, the CGJ received a request from residents of Carmel by the Sea to
also review the then-circumstances of governance and how the municipal organization "got into this
situation."
We appreciate the extensive work the CGJ undertook to produce its June 2015 report. We are well
aware , due to the amount of materials which were requested and researched, that it was a monumental
task . And while there were matters that arose during the investigation which tested each of our
respective positions, the community and the Council extend a "thank you" for the work and efforts of the
members of the CGJ.
As you will see from our attached responses to the Findings and Recommendations , there are matters
on which we concur; there are others where we profoundly disagree. Thus is the nature of public life
and public institutions.
Carmel by the Sea was incorporated on Halloween Day, 1916, by a majority of 27 votes. In addition to
the election of its Board of City Trustees , later retitled City Council, the electorate voted J.E. Nichols as
its first city clerk. Elected city clerks remained a stalwart of the municipal organization, operating as its
CEO, until the mid-1970's when the local government morphed into a Council-Manager (City
Administrator) structure. Carmel by the Sea is a General Law city pursuant to State law; it is not a
charter city. Thus, many of its operational mandates, regulations and the roles and duties of some of its
officers are prescribed by the State Legislature with gubernatorial approval. As a result, the local
Municipal Code can be, and in some matters is, essentially silent as the general law provisions of the
State take precedential status. There is no entry in the Index of the Municipal Code for the position of
City Treasurer, no enunciation of that office's roles or duties. Government Code Section 41001 -41007
prescribes the responsibilities of that officer.
In a Council-Manager (Administrator) form of government, the elected mayor's role is to serve as a
chairman of the council. The Manager (Administrator) implements the municipal policies promulgated
and adopted by the City Council.

Council Meeting Date: 09/01/2015

Agenda Item: 20
Page 3

The city manager professional was initiated in Staunton, Virginia, in 1908. The purpose was to place
municipal operations under the tutelage of a non-political appointee, removing political patronage and
partisan appointments from the responsibilities and duties of governance. The landscape of American
cities had been ravaged with the likes of Mayor James Michael Curley of Boston, Boss Tweed in New
York and the Tom Pendergast machine in Kansas City, Missouri, all political bosses who used their
positions for financial corruption, electoral fraud and securing public jobs for political friends in their
municipalities. The counter-balance to political governance is the Council-Manger (administrator) form
of government. California Government Code Section 34851-34859 outlines the role and duties of a city
manager (administrator) in this state.

CORRECTIVE ACTIONS
In the November 2014 transmittal to the CGJ , the Council asked that it review "our corrective actions."
Our efforts to "right our ship of state" began nine months before the CGJ issued its June 2015 report.
Whether addressing personnel matters, contractual and procedural policies or the organizational
structure, the Council and Staff have forcefully pursued actions to correct the issues which led to our
request to the CGJ.
On contracts and purchasing procedures and policies, the Staff has undertaken the following actions
which were cumulatively reported to the community and the City Council on 3 August 2015 at a public
meeting :
a. The Municipal Code pertaining to purchasing has been clarified to clearly state that the
Staff's authorization limit is $24,999 and that contracts beyond that amount must be
approved by the City Council.
b. Training of City Staff on the purchasing code and the processing of purchase orders was
held on May 20, 2015.
c. A contract review summary sheet and routing form have been created and purchase
orders are established for the full amount of the contract upon the execution of the
contract. This will enable the financial system to track the amount of payments made
towards the maximum contract amount and will indicate when the total authorization limit
has been reached.
d. The City is preparing a Purchasing and Procedures Manual for all employees.
e. All contracts beneath the $24,999 limit entered into by the City Administrator are now
listed monthly on the agenda for the Council's regular meeting.
f. Contracts for professional service consultants and contractors include specific language
that the vendor will not be compensated for any services exceeding the $24,999
threshold unless so authorized by the City Council. The contracts detail that the "not to
exceed" maximum amount authorized includes all substantive and incidental expenses.
g. A contract review and routing form is operative and must be signed off by numerous
officials before issued to the contractor. The routing form includes the term of the
contract, the authorized expenditure limit, the scope of work and the fee schedule for
processing of payments.
h. A vendor checklist has been created to provide vendors pertinent information about the
contract, billing, expectations, etc.
i. Language is being drafted to be included in solicitations for bids and/or services which
require public disclosure of conflicts of interest.

Council Meeting Date: 09/0 1/2015

Agenda Item: 20
Page 4

j.

A revised purchasing ordinance is in draft form and under review.

Additionally, the following actions were initiated by the Council or Staff:

a. An outside, independent attorney was retained to examine questionable contracts which
had been entered into in 2013 and 2014 by City Staff. The report was presented at a
regular meeting of the City Council with public commentary taken upon the completion of
the presentation.
b. Monies were appropriated in the 2015-16 Budget for updating the City's financial
hardware.
c. The salary ranges for both the IT Manager and the HR Manager were increased in an
effort to secure the best available professionals .
d. An audit of several specialized accounts has been initiated.

e. Based upon the recommendations of both the City Attorney and the City Administrator
following their independent reviews of documents, the City rehired three long-term
employees who were discharged without progressive discipline. The Municipal Code
lists specific disciplinary steps that are to be taken in personnel matters. The City settled
the legal matters that had resulted from the terminations. These settlements were
reviewed and agreed to by the City's insurance agency, a third party.
f. The City is preparing a Public Records Act policy manual for use by the Staff and
guidance to the public.
PERSONNEL
The CGJ's report addressed some matters focused on personnel and personalities. Here are actions
the Council or Staff have undertaken since the latter part of 2014:
a. In October, hired a City Administrator familiar with the community and the organization .
b. Created a new position of Director of Budgets and Contracts and placed and experienced
administrator in that position.
c. Re-hired three long-time employees who had been previously discharged, thus settling the legal
actions pending against the municipal organization.
d. Hired a full-time Information Technology Manager to oversee and upgrade the City's antiquated
system .
e. Hired a professional search firm to recruit a full-time Human Resources Manager.

CONCLUSION
The City Council strongly believes that in the past ten months, the City has become more transparent,
has and continues to address matters which created the situations reviewed and reported upon by the
CGJ , and has taken numerous steps to put safeguards in place to thwart future actions similar to those
festering in 2013 and 2014.
We appreciate this opportunity to respond and again thank the members of the Civil Grand Jury for
their work.

Council Meeting Date: 09/01 /2015

Agenda Item: 20
Page 5

Sincerely,

Jason Burnett, Mayor, on Behalf of the Members of the Carmel by the Sea City Council

Approved by the City Council on the 1st Day of September 2015.

Council Meeting Date: 09/01 /2015

Agenda Item : 20
Page 6

THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK

ATTACHMENT- 2

Findings F1 through F6 apply to the time period prior to the hiring of Mr. Jason Stilwell in late
2011.
Response: The Respondent agrees in part and disagrees in part with the findings 1 through 6.
Findings 1 through 6 apply to a time period prior to the current City Council, the current Mayor
and the current City Administrator. Attached is a response provided by Sue McCloud who was
mayor during the timeframe in question.
This city therefore will focus our responses on what the current City Council, Mayor and the City
Administrator have done.
F1
In the time period noted above, City operations were undisciplined, as City policies were
outdated, nonexistent or ignored. With several empty Department director positions, employees
worked hard to keep up and paid little attention to standard municipal procedures.
Response: Since the time period noted above, the City Administrator had conducted an
organizational review. The basic conclusion of this review was that, prior to 2012, each
department had been asked to handle much of its own HR, IT, procurement and contract
compliance. This was not judged to be a good delegation of respon sibilities, especially given the
complexities involved . Instead the City Administrator recommended a more centralized
approach to each and the city was reorganized accordingly.
Recruitments were initiated to fill key vacancies, notably for "several empty Department director
positions." The City Administrator hired or promoted several employees.
The current City Administrator and the City Council continue to find and correct areas of city
operations where city policies are "outdated, nonexistent or are ignored. "
F2
In the time period noted above, there were serious flaws and vulnerabilities in network system
security, placing the City at risk financially and legally.
Response: The City Administrator has recruited and hired an IT director who is now onboard
and working to address the IT system including a plan appropriate for the size and com plexity of
the Carmel-by-the-Sea government organization.
F3
In the time period noted above, contracts were mismanaged with regard to public bidding,
purchase order processing, and services provided with expired contracts.
Response: Since the time period noted above, the City Council has updated the purchasing
policy and has requested staff to come back with an even more systematic review of the policy
and its implementation, drawing on the best practices of similar organizations throughout the
state for "public bidding" and "purchase order processing." Staff has brought forward "expired

contracts" on a regular basis for City Council review and the City Council has brought those
contracts up to date. The Respondent will continue doing so until all "expired contracts" have
been brought into compliance with our municipal code and policies. The City Administrator has
assigned a senior manager to oversee public bidding, purchasing and contract compliance.
F4
In the time period noted above, the City Council was not provided with contract payment
schedules or accumulated payment tracking reports.
Response: In the time period noted above, the City Council and community were provided with
the check register. This format, while essential, does not provide for an easy way to spot trends,
see the larger financial landscape or monitor "contract payment schedules or accumulated
payment tracking reports." Since the time period noted above, the City Council budgeted for
new financial software and, consistent with City Council direction, the City Administrator has
made such software a high priority of our new IT manager. As an interim measure, the check
register now includes "contract payment schedules" and "accumulated payment tracking
reports" for the larger contracts and the City Council receives quarterly financial reports.
F5
In the time period noted above, the Human Resources process was mismanaged with regard to
pay grades, progressive discipline, and proper staff training, and was lacking in leadership.
Response: In the time period noted above individual departments managed their own Human
Resources. This system did not work well and the City Council budgeted for filling the HR
position. A recent recruitment failed to find a qualified candidate and the recruitment continues.
The new HR manager will provide the "leadership ," "proper staff training," and appropriate
"progressive discipline." The City Administrator and the City Attorney have also employed the
services of an outside labor law attorney, reflecting the complex nature of labor law in California.
F6
In the time period noted above, the Public Records Act request process was unstructured,
noncompliant, and ad hoc.
RESPONSE: The Respondent agrees in part and disagrees in part. The large majority of Public
Record Act requests were immediately processed and responded to by the City Clerk. If the City
Clerk had a question or a concern, the process had been that the Clerk conferred with the City
Attorney prior to issuing the response. City agrees this process was not followed by all members
of the City Staff at a later time and was instead referred to outside law firms without consulting
with the City Attorney. The City Council adopted a new policy regarding Public Record Act
requests.
Response: Since the time period noted above, the City Council has adopted a revised Public
Records Act policy that, as implemented by the City Attorney and the City Administrator, is
structured , compliant with the law, and organized. The City has not had issues with the PRA
since revising our policy and hiring our new City Administrator. The City Administrator is
preparing a PRA Guide and Manual for the public and the staff.

F?

The Mayor and City Council did not fully execute their responsibilities of inquiry and oversight.
RESPON SE: The Respondent disagrees. The City of Carmel by the Sea is a General Law city
established pursuant to the California Government Code 34102 et. Seq. and is commonly
referred to as a Council/Manager form of government. In a Council/Manager form of
government, the City Manager has the power to administer the day-to-day affairs of the city,
including the power to hire and fire employees and perform such other functions as the City
Council directs. The Mayor and City Council members in a General Law city provide policy
direction and are not authorized to involve themselves in employee matters. When the Mayor
and members of the City Council did exercise their power of inquiry, the information requested
was not forthcoming or was inaccurate.
F8
Neither the Mayor nor the City Council members received any formal training or substantive
orientation on the responsibilities of their positions .
RESPONSE : The Respondent disagrees. The Mayor as well as members of the City Council
have attended va rious workshops sponsored by the League of California Cities on a variety of
subjects regarding the role of a city council member as well as a number of other workshops on
municipal governance. In addition, the Mayor and members of the City Council have attended
the mandatory class every two years regarding AS 1234, as well as local training workshops
dealing with the Ralph M. Brown Act, Public Records, Conflicts of Interest and decision making.
F9
The Mayor and the City Council members were more responsive to political pressure than to the
need for effective governance.
RESPONSE : The Respondent disagrees. The Mayor and City Council members are elected
representatives of the Carmel by the Sea community and as such are responsible to the
community. Being responsive to the community is a major part of their commitment to serve as
a public servant and is an integral part of governance.
FlO AND F11
THE MCCGJ EXEMPTED F1 0 AND F11 FROM REQUESTED RESPONSE .
F12
There was no credible evidence to support allegations of contract splitting, cronyism or any
other wrongdoing under Mr. Stilwell or Ms. Paul.
RESPONSE : The Respondent cannot speak to the evidence reviewed or the content of the
interviews since it was not present during the Civil Grand Jury interviews. The City refers the
Civil Grand Jury to the independent review of contracts by attorney Stephanie Atigh. The City

also refers the Civil Grand Jury to Paragraph 9 of the Separation Agreement and Release
between Mr. Stilwell and the City which states as follows: 9. Professional Reputation . City shall
refrain from any statements, public or private, concerning Employee which would have the
effect of damaging his professional reputation or personal character."
F13
The General Law/Weak Mayor structure was often misunderstood by Carmel citizens and the
City Council.
RESPONSE : The Respondent cannot comment, either agreeing or disagreeing , as there is no
information or polling data on which to base a response.
F14
THE MCCGJ EXEMPTED F14 FROM REQUESTED RESPONSE
F1 5
The governance and administration of the City is unduly influenced by the reportorial and
editorial practices of The Carmel Pine Cone.
RESPONSE: The Respondent wholly disagrees. The City Council has taken numerous actions
which have been editorially criticized by The Carmel Pine Cone.

Fl6
The position of City Treasurer is underutilized and so provides little benefit to the City.
RESPONSE : The Respondent wholly disagrees and this recommendation will not be
implemented. The duties, roles and responsibilities of the Office of City Treasurer are aptly
listed in Government Code Section 41001-007 and are very specific on the limited role of the
City Treasurer.

Fl?
The City Treasurer was isolated from any meaningful role in the contract/invoice disbursements
and tracking system.
RESPONSE: The Respondent partially disagrees, as to have (or had) the City Treasurer
engaged in the aforementioned role would have been partially contrary to the separation of
duties between the City's finance and contracts employees and the duties of the Treasurer.
State Law specifies that the Treasurer shall monthly report to the "legislative body" providing an
" ...accounting of all receipts, disbursements, and fund balances." The Treasurer has no role in
contracts.
F18
There was no evidence of any systematic review of contracts in excess of $25,000 by legal
counsel as to form or content.
RESPONSE : The Respondent agrees and disagrees in part. Prior to the dates in question, the
City Attorney reviewed contracts and provided approval or recommended changes which were
then incorporated into the contracts. During the time period in question, Administrative Staff
referred some contracts to the City Attorney for review and comment which were later revised or
amended without further City Attorney review.

Fl9
A significant amount of money is spent on outside counsel as it supplements the City Attorney
position in numerous matters including but not limited to labor and employment concerns, public
records requests, general business and facilities, joint powers agreements, municipal law, and
miscellaneous lawsuits.
RESPONSE : The Respondent agrees. (See response to Recommendation# 14.)
F20
Historical averages of amounts spent on outside legal services over the past five years would
support a full-time City Attorney and staff where such attorney would have experience in
contracts, employment matters, and Public Records Act requests, as well as municipal law.
RESPONSE : The Respondent disagrees. See Response to Recommendation #14 .

F21
The City Council seriously failed to exercise its power of inquiry in its decision-making process
regarding rehires, by excluding the City's outside defense counsel from the process and by
negotiating hasty settlements of claims in the early or pre-litigation stages, which precluded any
meaningful scrutiny of these employment issues.
RESPONSE: The Respondent wholly disagrees. The City Attorney had discussions with the
outside counsel referenced by the Civil Grand Jury who was retained to represent the City in the
termination matters involving the employees . Due to the fact that the City Administrator had
been verbally approved for substitution as the hearing officer in the Fenton termination appeal,
he could not discuss the case with the defense attorney as it would have constituted ex-parte
contact. He did converse frequently with the outside counsel who represented Mr. Stilwell when
he served as the hearing officer in the four day Fenton hearings in June 2014.
The settlements were not "hasty." The City Attorney and City Administrator had daily
conversations on these personnel matters (including weekends), consulted with both private
practice and municipal attorneys, met with attorneys representing the terminated employees,
reviewed the personnel files, notes from the Skelly hearings, read the Fenton hearing transcripts
of over 400 pages, and reviewed the written and stated causes contained in the termination
correspondence . The City Attorney and City Administrator made recommendations to the City
Council based upon their independent reviews of this information.
It is ironic that the Civil Grand Jury states these efforts to bring fairness to the unnecessary firing
of four long time employees was "hasty" since a private practice attorney retained by the City
and involved in these termination matters told the City Administrator on 19 February 2015 that
the decision process for ending the careers of the employees was "very aggressive" for the
alleged offenses.

R1
The City require all elected officials to undergo The League of California Cities "New Mayors
and Council Members Academy" formal training, for each new term of office.
RESPONSE: The Respondent disagrees and the recommendation will not be implemented. The
current Mayor and City Council Members have attended League of California Cities meetings
and conferences. Any Council can encourage and recommend attendance at League sessions
but not require its Members to attend. There is case law that sitting city councils cannot bind
future councils or its members.
R2
The Mayor and City Council conduct a structured review of the City's departments each month ,
to ensure proper oversight of City operations and more aggressive use of their power of inquiry.
RESPONSE: The Respondent disagrees and will not conduct structured reviews of the City's
departments each month as it already receives monthly reports. The City Council engages in
annual goal setting. It establishes its priorities and those goals are reflected in the annual
budget adopted in June. The Council receives monthly reports in its regular meeting agenda
packet on various departmental operations. Carmel by the Sea has a Council-Manager form of
government. It is the responsibility of the City Administrator to provide oversight of City
departmental operations.
R3
The City immediately procure or upgrade to an appropriate IT System and secure the data
network.
RESPONSE : The Respondent agrees and this recommendation is being implemented. Monies
are in the FY 2015-16 Budget for implementation during the current fiscal year.
R4
The City immediately hire an experienced Human Resources Director and fill all open positions
as quickly as possible.
RESPONSE : The Respondent agrees and the process for hiring is underway. The City Council
has approved an incre ase in the salary range for the position of Human Resources Manager
and a recruitment by a professional firm is underway.
R5
The City define and utilize a formal , mandatory progressive discipline system to be consistently
applied for all employees disciplinary matters.
RESPONSE: The Respondent disagrees and this recommendation will not be implemented
because the Municipal Code (Section 2.52, Article IX) already establishes a formal progressive
discipline system . Section 2 .52.295 states "The following disciplinary actions are available :

counseling, oral reprimand, written reprimand, emergency suspension, suspension , disciplinary

demotion and dismissal. "
The City is having a labor expert review its personnel policy to assure it conforms to current best
practices.
R6
The City require that all employees undergo formal training, with specific focus on job
responsibilities, City policy, and Municipal Code guidance for their specific positions.
RESPONSE : The Respondent agrees and this effort is underway. Any organization can improve
its employee training efforts. The City has undertaken in the recent past specific topic training
for all employees. The City Administrator has included monies in the budget and this will be
assign this as a top priority for the new Human Resources Manager.
R7
The City immediately procure and implement appropriate, full-function financial management
software.
RESPONSE : The Respondent agrees. The adopted 2015-16 Budget contains $150,000 as the
initial financing for this software. The City's new IT Manager began service on 1 July and has
been given assignment as a top priority for implementation during the current fiscal year.
R8
The City review the contract awarding process to ensure that the Carmel Municipal Code
provisions are being followed at department levels, and that where called for, public bidding is
used.
RESPONSE: The Respondent agrees and changes have already been made to the City's
contracting practices. The City has reviewed its processes for contract awarding. The Council
received an update at its meeting of August 3 on changes to internal controls, procedures and
independent reviews. A purchasing procedures manual is being prepared by an outside agency.
R9
The City review (or rewrite if necessary) the purchasing process, to ensure that the Carmel
Municipal Code provisions are current, complete, and are being followed.
RESPONSE: See response to R8 above.
R10
The City adopt a procedure whereby all major contracts are reviewed and signed off by the City
Attorney and City Treasurer.

RESPONSE: The Respondent partially agrees and finds part of the recommendation
unwarranted. All major contracts are reviewed and approved as to form by the City Attorney.
Further review and processing and compliance are the roles and responsibilities of the Director
of Budgets and Contracts and of the Finance Manager, not the City Treasurer. Involvement by
the City Treasurer would be outside of the duties of that office which are prescribed in the
Government Code of the State of California.
R11
The City report periodic payments under contracts to the City Council, in a manner which
reflects the total contract amount and total payments to date, as well as the current monthly
payment.
RESPONSE : The Respondent agrees and this effort has been partially implemented. The new
financial hardware will make such reports easily available as part of the Council's monthly
payments review. As an interim measure, larger contracts are broken out in the monthly Check
Register which the Council receives in its agenda packet as recommended.
R12
The City establish a content list for City contract files and assure that such files contain (as
applicable): bidding process compliance (RFP); vendor proposal and all attachments; legal
review; staff summary report to the City Council; City Council resolution; and where there are
contract amendments, all of the foregoing as appropriate.
RESPONSE : The Respondent agrees and this recommendation is being implemented. The City
already has an individual file for each contract and a master list of all contracts. Each file
contains a routing slip with contract which delineates the amount and the supporting
documentation such as the Council Resolution, exhibits, W-9 forms, City Administrator and City
Clerk sign off lines. There is also for each contract a General Information sheet detailing the
length of the contract, amount of dollars, the vendor's business license number and any special
terms of the contract.
R13
The City enhance the role of the City Treasurer such that the position has responsibility in the
day-to-day financial management, including tracking the status of all contracts, identifying
payment overages, and reporting to the City Council.
RESPONSE: The Respondent disagrees and this recommendation will not be implemented.
California Government Code Section 41001-41007 deliniates the role and responsibility of the
Office of the City Treasurer. Overseeing day-to-day financial management and the tracking of
contracts is not a duty of the Treasurer's Office but is the duty of the City's finance and contracts
staff.

R14
The City make the City Attorney position a full-time City employee requiring meaningful
experience in the areas of contracts, employment law, and Public Records Act requests, as well
as municipal law.
RESPONSE : The Respondent disagrees with this recommendation and it will not be
implemented. Studies by/for small cities show the cost of a full-time attorney and ancillary staff
are more expensive than contracting for legal services. The law is too complex to expect a
single person to be an expert in all areas. A 2013 Study by the Municipal Resource Group
contains several cogent comments about contracting vs. having a full-time city attorney.
Although this report was prepared for a municipality larger than Carmel by the Sea, some
findings are applicable to a city of any size. Amongst the findings of the study were:
1) "Cities with in-house (full time) City Attorney staff generally still use outside counsel for
specialized services , particularly litigation."
2) "Contemplation of an in-house (full time) City Attorney Office must also plan and budget
for support staff. The benchmark data includes a minimum of one administrative position
would be required, such as a legal secretary, and at least a part-time paralegal."
3) "Non-personnel costs for a City Attorney Office (full time) include mandatory State Bar
dues, recommended practice area section memberships, professional memberships,
mandatory continuing legal education, office supplies, subscriptions, conference and
travel, law library and books and subscriptions, automated legal research (Westlaw or
Lexis), computers and software licenses, minor capital outlays and other similar legal
office expenses." "A budget for an in-house (full time) City Attorney Office would also
include contract costs for specialized outside counsel. ... "
4) 'T ransitioning to in-house (full time) City Attorney services would also involve certain
startup costs, such as recruitment, one-time purchase of equipment and furniture, law
office materials, books and supplies, and other start-up expenses."

R15
The City Attorney manage the selection, and oversee the engagement of outside legal counsel,
including the review and approval of their billings.
RESPONSE: The Respondent agrees and this has been implemented.

EXHIBIT- A

July 5, 2015
FINDINGS-draft#2

Fl. Based on the lack of a time frame and specifics in this finding,we can state that City operations
and procedures were disciplined and adhered to existing policies. Due to the economic downturn, a
number of positions were combined to decrease operating costs.
F2. Based on the lack of a time frame and specifics in this finding, we can state that Council did not
have access to nor did it use the City network until at least April 2012.
F3. Based on the lack of a time frame and specifics in this finding ,City contracts were managed as
appropriate for either a personal services contract or publicly bid contract. Counci l did receive
monthly reports of all checks written which included payments for contract work .
Council did not have responsibility for processing purchase orders.
F4 . Based on the lack of a time frame and specifics in this finding,we can state that City contracts
usually contained a defined payment schedule coupled to deliverables.
FS. Based on the lack of a time frame and specifics in this finding, after the resignation of the HR
officer, leadership was provided by an in-house HR person, the City Administrator and finally under
negotiation was possible HR management by the City of Monterey.
F6. Based on the lack of a time frame and specifics in this finding, we can state that requests under the
Public Records Act were compiled professionally and with alacrity by two individuals in house in
consultation with the City attorney.
N.B. There are at least two glaring factual errors in the text sho uld you wish to comment on them or
feel that the info might change your response:
1. Pg 9 First sentence under 'The New City Administrator" ..."folbwing the departure of Guillen,

Stilwell was hired ..." Not so, John Goss was hired on an interim basis for a year or so.
2.

Pg 9 Last sentence para 2 same section ... "the recruitment and interview process in which
Stilwell did not participate ." Not so, check with Heidi as she sat next to Jason during the
interview and Stilwell made it clear for !would say over a year that he had someone who
would be excellent and he was waiting for her. Iunderstand that this caused some problems
as someone was selected who gave up his job !believe on the east coast and then was told
he was not wanted here. There was talk of a suit but I don't think it ever came to that.

From : Sue McCloud, Former Mayor 2000-April 2012