The Department of Administrative Hearings is a quasi-judicial body authorized to administer hearings on ordinance violations that do not include a penalty of imprisonment. Administrative hearings offer an alternative to full court cases for low-level traffic violations, building code violations, and similar non-violent, city-level offenses.
Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2023 Budget
| 2023 Budgeted | 2024 Proposed | Net Change | Percent Change | |
| Appropriations | $8,447,480 | $8,769,092 | $321,612 | 3.8% |
| Positions &FTEs | 40 | 40 | $0 | 0.0% |
Departmental Highlights
- Net headcount remained the same as in the 2023 budget, with 40 positions total. A pair of eliminated administrative positions were replaced by increases in the project coordinator and staff assistant titles.
- Outside contracting via the professional and technical services appropriation is DAH’s largest single-category cost (despite a slight decline from the previous year), followed by salaries and wages.
- Salaries and wages and IT maintenance saw the largest year-to-year cost increases. The 2024 proposed budget also significantly increases the department’s appropriation for students as trainees, up from roughly $8600 in 2023 to approximately $40,000 in 2024.
Historical Context
From 2011-2023, the department budget grew at an average rate of 1.2% per year. Departmental budgets overall increased an average of 5.9% per year over the same time period, while the total city budget including Finance General appropriations grew at an average rate of 8.2% annually.
The department’s budgeted workforce declined at a rate of roughly -0.7% annually from 2011-2023. Overall budgeted positions for the city remained relatively flat across the same time period, with minor year-to-year fluctuations averaging out to an overall growth rate of -0.04%.
Staffing
Net headcount remained the same as in the 2023 budget, with 40 positions total. A pair of eliminated administrative positions were replaced by increases in the project coordinator and staff assistant titles.
Appropriations
Largest Appropriations
Outside contracting via the professional and technical services appropriation is DAH’s largest single-category cost (despite a slight decline from the previous year), followed by salaries and wages.
Change from Previous Year
Salaries and wages and IT maintenance saw the largest year-to-year cost increases. The 2024 proposed budget also significantly increases the department’s appropriation for students as trainees, up from roughly $8600 in 2023 to approximately $40,000 in 2024.
