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From the Office of the District Attorney requesting authorization to create one paralegal position effective October 2, 2011. (Referred to the Committees on Finance and Audit and Personnel, the Department of Administrative Services, and the Division of Human Resources.)
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We are requesting, pursuant to section 17.05(1) of the county general ordinances, the creation of a new position of paralegal, job code 86161, pay range 19L, effective October 2, 2011.
The new position of paralegal will be assigned to the termination of parental rights (TPR) unit in the juvenile division of the district attorney's office. The paralegal will manage, organize and track TPR requests and prepare guardianship pleadings to achieve permanent placements as quickly as possible for children in out-of-home care.
The district attorney's office has a longstanding, major contract with the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) for prosecutorial services on Children in Need of Protection and Services (CHIPS) and TPR cases. The DCF contract currently funds 14.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) state and county positions: 8.5 assistant district attorneys, 4.0 paralegals, 1.0 secretarial assistant, and 1.0 clerical assistant 2.
The creation of the new paralegal position will have no tax levy effect because DCF has increased the state fiscal year 2012 CHIPS-TPR contract with the district attorney's office to provide annualized funding of approximately $79,050 for the new paralegal. The district attorney's office will submit a fund transfer request to provide budgetary authority for 2011 expenditures and reimbursement revenue of approximately $19,750 resulting from the creation of this position.