QUESTION
What contributed to the dramatic drop in the budget for the law department between fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025?
1:49:37
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116 sec
The law department's budget for fiscal year 2025 decreased primarily due to underfunding in major cases and technology-related costs, resulting in a potential 30% reduction in spending.
- The Other Than Personal Service (OTPS) budget is underfunded, specifically for major cases and technology costs.
- Collaboration with OMB is necessary to fund the shortfall in budgets year over year.
- The nature of legal services requires supplemental budgets to address evolving needs.
- Despite budget reductions, the law department ensures a balanced budget without going into negative numbers.
- Baseline funding for legal services is challenging due to the dynamic nature of legal requirements.
Lincoln Restler
1:49:37
The law department's fiscal year 2024 adopted budget was $247,000,000.
1:49:43
According to prelim, dollar on pace to spend $284,000,000, but the FY 25 budget is just $220,000,000.
1:49:53
That's a $64,000,000 difference.
1:49:55
That's a 30% reduction potentially in spending for the law department year over year.
1:50:01
If enacted, that would be a hugely detrimental cut to the law department.
1:50:08
So could you please detail what changes contributed to law's budget dropping so dramatically between the current fiscal year as of January 25 as of January and the fiscal 25 budget.
Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix
1:50:23
I'd like to refer that to our Director of Finance.
Motte Araf
1:50:31
Good afternoon.
1:50:32
Could you
Jayasri Ganapathy
1:50:32
state your name and position for the record?
Motte Araf
1:50:35
Sure.
1:50:36
Motte, m o t t e.
1:50:38
Last name is Araf, a r a f, and the I'm the director of So the law department budget is lower in the FY 25 as a result of the OTPS.
1:50:51
The other than personal service budget is underfunded.
1:50:55
And that's mainly due to the underfunding for major cases and technology related cost, and we work with our colleagues at OMB to fund that shortfall year to year.
1:51:08
Given the nature of legal services, we understand that, you know, it has to be done through the process of supplemental budget.
1:51:16
We advise needs during the financial plan cycles, and they address them the year to year.
1:51:21
We have not had a year where we went into negative.
1:51:24
So the the budget has a whole grand balance.
1:51:27
But we understand that because of that nature of law legal services, they're not able baseline the funding.