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City Attorney
City Manager: Joe Neeb City Attorney: Aaron Holloman
For 2019, the Legal Department continued to strive towards managing a broad range of issues while maintaining the flexibility to be responsive to the needs that arose. As advisors to department heads, administration, and councilors and board members of the City, the Legal Department divides its time in a variety of areas. In addition to the numerous requests for research and advice, the Legal Department’s activities can be broadly divided into the following categories.
Litigation Throughout the course of the year, the Legal Department assisted law enforcement by prosecuting approximately 40 municipal criminal offenses in municipal, magistrate, and district court (this excludes competency cases, the process for handling changed significantly in 2019 and affected the number of cases the attorneys were required to enter appearances on) and 10 cases in front of the Court of Appeals. The legal Department, in continuing its goal of 2018, to assist Police Officers with legal matters has spent approximately 180 hours officed at the Police Department. On the civil side, the City pursued recovery of funds by seeking to foreclose on 5 separate significant property liens. Additionally, the City Attorney and Deputy City Attorney represented the City in administrative proceedings including complaints from the Attorney General’s Office (5), the Office of the State Auditor (2), the Department of Education (1), and from Department of Work Force Solutions/Equal Opportunity Commission (3). Finally, the City Attorney represents the City on appeals of condemnation actions before the City Council resulting in one significant matter being heard before the City Council.
Legislative As legal advisors to the governing body in its legislative capacity, the Legal Department assisted in the creation of new law in the form of 8 separate ordinances, including one complete rewrite of a chapter of the Roswell City Code, and assisted in the establishment of policy in the form of 15 resolutions which required significant legal research or input. In terms of legislative financial and economic growth activity, the Legal Department was also able to assist in the wrap up of one Industrial Revenue Bond and the reissuance of a second.
Contracts The Legal Department drafted, negotiated, and contributed the creation of 69 separate agreements for the City, not including the total number of agreements that were reviewed for legal compliance.
Employment Additionally, the Legal Department helped negotiate and finalize two separate union agreements including the creation of a brandnew collective bargaining agreement. Finally, the City Attorney’s office has overseen the investigation of 5 separate internal complaints within the City.