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Commissioners send prosecutor pay and chief deputy pay to executive session; roll call vote unanimous
Summary
Board members went into executive session under Idaho law to discuss personnel and chief deputy pay in the prosecutor's office after extended discussion about recruiting difficulties and previously approved hiring incentives.
Commissioners voted unanimously to move into an executive session to discuss chief deputy pay and personnel matters in the county prosecutor's office, citing the statute that allows closed sessions for personnel matters. The motion referenced Idaho Code 74-206(1)(b) and passed on a roll-call vote with Commissioners Hawkins, Dahlke and Cohen recorded as voting yes.
The executive-session motion followed a lengthy public discussion in the budget workshop about recruiting and retention in the prosecutor's office. Commissioners and staff said the office has lost attorneys and has difficulty attracting licensed applicants at current salary levels. One commissioner said the county had already approved a $90,000 starting salary and a $10,000 sign-on or relocation incentive for deputy prosecuting attorneys; other commissioners urged that a broader restructuring of ranges be handled through a consistent HR benchmarking process rather than ad hoc adjustments.
Board members disagreed about how far to go immediately. Some argued the advertised salaries and a signing bonus already approved should remain in place to help recruit quickly; others said larger restructuring of attorney pay ranges must follow the same verification and benchmarking process the board asked HR to perform for other county positions. During the workshop a commissioner said the prosecutor's office is "bleeding people" and that some positions require a prompt, targeted response because licensed positions are difficult to fill.
After that discussion the board chair called for a motion to move into executive session specifically to address chief deputy pay and personnel in the prosecutor's office. A motion was made and seconded referencing Idaho Code 74-206(1)(b); the clerk called a roll call and Commissioners Hawkins, Dahlke and Cohen each answered yes. The transcript ends after the roll call; the meeting proceeded into executive session and no further public deliberations or votes were recorded in the provided transcript.
Because the executive session concerns personnel, no details of that closed deliberation appear in the public transcript.
