Sec. 20-5. OAT staff.
A. The Director and all staff shall be committed to implementing the provisions of this chapter in an honest, independent and impartial fashion and to upholding public confidence in the integrity of the OAT.
B. The Director shall hire OAT staff who shall work under the Director’s supervision.
C. OAT staff are employees of the City of Phoenix and must follow the City personnel rules.
D. Neither the Director nor any employees in the OAT’s office, nor their immediate family members, shall have formerly been employees of any law enforcement agency.
E. The Director will hire one or more attorneys as staff to advise and represent the OAT with respect to its work, provided:
1. Any such attorney is admitted to the State Bar of Arizona; and
2. Any such attorney must not provide legal advice or representation to any department or function of the City of Phoenix other than the OAT; and
3. All financial, personnel and administrative functions of any such attorney shall be under the jurisdiction of the City Manager or Director and shall not be under the jurisdiction of the City Attorney.
F. To retain outside legal counsel to advise and represent the OAT with respect to its work, provided:
1. Counsel is retained pursuant to the standard terms of engagement then used by the City Attorney, including any limitations on fees or costs; and
2. The costs of such representation are paid from the budget of the OAT and not from the budget of the City Attorney; and
3. The Director provides the City Attorney with notice of the engagement, including the firm selected and a copy of the engagement agreement; and
4. In no situation may the OAT use staff counsel or outside counsel in litigation by the Director or OAT against the City.
G. Nothing in the preceding provisions shall be construed to alter the authority of the City Council or the City Attorney with regard to the defense of claims against the City or individual City defendants, the settlement of monetary or other claims against the City or individual City defendants, or any other powers or duties of the City Attorney. (Ord. No. G-6851, § 1, 2021)