THUNDER BAY – A Thunder Bay city councillor wants to see the city do more of its legal work in-house, proposing the addition of one full-time staffer in the legal services division for next year.
The motion made by Coun. Aldo Ruberto would add $150,000 to the division’s budget in 2023. It currently sits around $1.2 million.
The division had 8.1 full-time equivalent staff in 2022, according to the city’s budget documents.
Ruberto said the need to wait for review by the legal services division is a common answer when he inquires with staff about timelines for a variety of projects.
“There’s a mountain of work there,” he said. “Almost everything we do is flushed through legal… Litigation is now part of everything the city does, whether it’s fixing a road or taking down a tree.”
The city has consistently hired out legal work due to a lack of in-house capacity, Ruberto said. He asserted hiring additional counsel would save the city money in the long term.
He said the amount of legal work facing the city has increased in recent years, pointing to issues like leaky pipes, disputes with contractors, leases and other agreements
In an interview, Ruberto said he believes the motion is supported by the legal services division.
His motion will be debated at Monday’s council meeting, set to be the last before council enters a so-called lame duck period.
If passed, the addition to the budget would still be subject to review by the new city council elected in the Oct. 24 municipal election, which will set the 2023 budget in January and February of next year.
