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County panel weighs raising part-time pay cap as drug court seeks more qualified help
Summary
Judicial staff and a judge told county leaders that a $10/hour part-time cap makes recruiting professional and secretarial help for drug court difficult; council asked for a year-long hours estimate and budget check before changing the ordinance.
A county judge urged the council to raise the ordinance cap on part-time pay, saying the current $10 hourly maximum is hindering recruitment of licensed and professional help for drug court and part-time secretarial work. The judge told the panel that some positions require “higher degrees” and that “$10 is so low. They could get more money going to McDonald’s.”
Council members said they supported the judge’s request in principle but asked for more fiscal detail before amending the ordinance. One council member asked departments to present the total number of part‑time hours needed over 52 weeks so the council could estimate the budget impact. Another member suggested the council re-examine the part-time ordinance during the regular budget cycle and asked staff to compare other departments’ maximums, noting the felony department has a $25/hour maximum for professional services and another department had $30/hour.
The judge said the drug court’s part-time line item had previously been $20,000 and that the department returned $10,000 in the prior year because it was underused; the judge said the current increase in drug court activity makes better use of part-time funds necessary. The judge emphasized they were not asking for an immediate staff‑level raise beyond available part‑time appropriations.
Council members directed staff to provide: (1) the requested annual total number of part‑time hours the judge needs; (2) comparisons to other departments’ pay ranges for similar roles; and (3) confirmation of available unencumbered funds in the judge’s part‑time line item. No formal vote or ordinance change occurred at the session.
The discussion clarified the difference between a policy ceiling in the county ordinance and department staffing decisions, and council members noted any ordinance change should be paired with budget analysis to avoid unintended midyear appropriations.
