HomeMy WebLinkAboutFY 2026 (Office of the County Attorney)
OFFICE OF THE COUNTY ATTORNEY
FY 2026 BUDGET AND OPERATIONS SYNOPSIS
Matthew M. Bracken
County Attorney
1
Department: COUNTY ATTORNEY
Fund: GENERAL FUND
1. FY 2025 to FY 2026 BUDGET COMPARSION
Fund: GENERAL FUND Department: COUNTY ATTORNEY
FY 2025 FY 2026 $ + / - % + / -
Salary and Wages 2,269,785 2,270,262 477 0.0%
Benefits 1,337,303 1,416,855 109,313 8.4%
Utilities 4,297 4,297 0 0.0%
Vehicle/Equip, Lease 0 0 0 0.0%
Operations 545,342 560,748 15,406 2.8%
4,156,727 4,252,162 125,196 3.0%
+
54%33%
0%
0%13%
FY 2026 Operating Budget
Salary and
Wages
Benefits
Utilities
Vehicle/Equip,
Lease
Operations
55%32%
0%0%13%
FY 2025 Operating Budget
Salary and
Wages
Benefits
Utilities
Vehicle/Equip,
Lease
Operations
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
Salary and
Wages
Benefits Utilities Vehicle/Equip,
Lease
Operations
FY 2025 and FY 2026 Comparison
FY 2025
FY 2026
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2. MAJOR CHANGES AND/OR VARIANCES IN OPERATIONS BUDGET
This year we do not have any major changes or variances in our operation budget. However, we
are requesting an increase to Benefits in the amount of $109,313 or 8.4%. To ensure we are
adequately positioned to meet future obligations, we have made a strategic decision to increase
the allocation of our Other Post-Employment Benefits account across the board. This will provide
for flexibility in addressing any potential increases.
3. OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES
Salary will likely continue to affect retention. We hired 2 attorneys for the Advice and Counsel
section. They have been receiving training and will be assigned a greater workload once they have
fulfilled the training requirements. We currently have one attorney vacancy, and we are actively
recruiting to fill the position. As of March 2025, there are 178 open advice and counsel matters.
At the same time last year there were 206 open matters, which resulted in a legal backlog of
around 90 legal requests. The current legal backlog is around 120 legal requests.
Our litigation case load is currently 226 cases, with varying degrees of complexity. At this time last
year there were 260 litigation cases.
4. OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM FY 2025
• The Advice and Counsel attorneys conducted two half-day training sessions on procurement
contracts. Open to all County of Kaua‘i employees involved in contract management, the training
covered key topics such as General Terms and Conditions, contract templates, and contract
management best practices.
• During the year the risk management team conducted procurement and contract administration
for the County’s insurance policies. The Risk Management portal on SharePoint is continuously
updated to allow for Countywide communication of news, policies, and events related to risk
management. The Risk Management team facilitated the appraisal of a portion of County of Kaua‘i
properties/facilities. These valuations were used in the property insurance renewals. The results
of the various appraisals highlighted the need to continue with this project to correctly value the
County’s properties.
• The Litigation attorneys processed and closed 35 claims, 12 employee grievances, 13 District Court
collection cases, 2 real property tax foreclosures, and 21 other cases with varying degrees of
complexity.