To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Todd Weaver, Director, Finance
Prepared By:
prepared
Kendra Davis, Management Analyst III, Commissioners’ Office
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presenter
Presenter: Todd Weaver, Director, Finance
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Subject:
title
1:00 PM* Judicial District Transition Update and Staffing Discussion
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
The purpose of this study session is to provide an update on the judicial district transition process and to receive Board feedback and approval. Members of the transition team from both the County and the DA’s Office will provide an overview of the staffing proposal for the new DA’s Office of the 18th Judicial District.
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Background and Discussion: HB20-1026 requires the 18th Judicial District, which currently serves Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties, to transition from a four-county district into two judicial districts. The 18th Judicial District will become a single county judicial district, which will serve Arapahoe County, while the 23rd Judicial District will serve Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties, effective Jan. 7, 2025. An election for the 18th and 23rd judicial district attorneys will be held in November 2024.
In August 2021, staff began meeting with representatives from Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties and 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office to discuss the transition. In January 2022, Douglas and Arapahoe counties issued a Request for Proposal for transition planning services, selecting CGL Companies (CGL) to provide the team shared information to help manage the transition. In February 2022, staff drafted a project charter in order to: provide an understanding of the project, the reason it is being conducted, its justification sponsorship; and establish the general scope, the staffing requirements, schedule and how it relates to other County initiatives.
CGL was contracted in April 2022 with the primary responsibility “to provide information to support Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln Counties and the Office of the District Attorney in managing the transition of the 18th Judicial District, including potential transition costs that could be shared with the state for reimbursement.” CLG completed their analysis in November 2022. Following completion of the analysis, it was determined that both counties would continue transition independently, with regular check-ins as appropriate. Arapahoe County staff have continued to meet regularly with the DA’s Office staff to discuss the transition, which includes shared service models, IT needs, retirement and benefits.
Staff will provide an update on the transition process and the staffing proposal provided by the DA’s Office for staffing needs in 2025.
Fiscal Impact: The purpose of this study session is to further refine and understand the staffing proposal from the DA’s Office for the new, single-county 18th Judicial District. Feedback received during this meeting or at subsequent meetings will directly affect the fiscal impact of that proposal.
Alternatives: This item is for informational and discussion purposes.
Alignment with Strategic Plan:
☒Be fiscally sustainable
☒Provide essential and mandated service
☒Be community focused
Staff Recommendation: N/A
Concurrence: The County Attorney’s Office, Information Technology, Human Resources, Finance, and DA’s Office were involved in this process.