Bonner County leaders ask for detailed plan after prosecutor seeks 10% pay bump to aid recruitment

A Bonner County prosecutor’s office representative asked the Board of County Commissioners on Friday to consider a 10% across‑the‑board raise for county attorney positions to address a recruiting and retention shortfall, and proposed redirecting existing contract revenue and software funds to cover most of the cost.

The prosecutor’s office representative told commissioners the county’s attorney pay matrix “does not work well for the attorney positions in Bonner County anymore” and that the office was asking “for a 10% raise for our attorneys,” citing published salaries in nearby Kootenai County and difficulty filling vacancies.

The request followed discussion about a statewide pay increase for judges: commissioners and staff noted the Idaho Legislature approved a roughly 15% increase for some judicial salaries this year, which has shifted the local labor market and helped prosecutors apply for judgeships. Commissioners heard that Bonner County has lost deputies to neighboring counties and to judicial appointments and that some positions remain open for long periods.

As a funding proposal, the prosecutor’s office…