Bonner County revises deputy prosecutor pay scale, sets elected prosecutor salary at $155,000

The Bonner County Board of Commissioners agreed to revise the prosecutor's office pay scale and set the elected prosecutor's salary at $155,000 during a public meeting, while deferring a final decision on on-call pay.

The board voted to adopt a four-tier structure for deputy prosecuting attorneys starting at a $90,000 base (grades DP‑01 through DP‑04) with a 12-step progression to reduce previous pay compression. Commissioners and staff discussed funding sources and implementation steps before the salary decision.

The change to the deputy pay scale removes a previous lowest tier, raises the starting base for entry-level deputy prosecutors to $90,000 and preserves four job grades commonly described in the record as deputy prosecuting attorney, lead deputy, senior deputy and chief deputy. Staff said moving from a compressed 10-step system to 12 steps would widen progression and ease retention pressures.

Commissioners and the prosecutor debated how to fund the adjustments. Staff identified existing savings and reallocated revenue as potential offsets, including the planned cancellation of a roughly $30,000-per-year contract with the City of…