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Madison County district attorney seeks county approval to convert two county-funded staff to state-paid reimbursed positions
Summary
The district attorney’s office asked commissioners to approve shifting two county-paid positions into the state-paid county-reimbursed (SPACER) program so those employees receive state benefits; the office said the change would improve pay parity but would raise Madison County’s budget by roughly $59,000 in ongoing costs.
The district attorney’s office asked the Madison County Board of Commissioners to approve reclassifying two county-funded employees as state-paid, county-reimbursed positions under the state contracting mechanism used by prosecuting offices. The DA’s office said the change would align those two employees with the compensation and benefits of other state-paid staff in the office and improve retention.
Why it matters: Converting the two positions — an administrative staff member and an investigator — to state-paid county-reimbursed status would move their payroll and benefits to the state system while leaving Madison County responsible for reimbursing the state. The DA said the up-front and ongoing county cost to make the change is material to the county operating budget.
What the DA asked: Office representatives asked the board to approve shifting the two employees into the state-paid, county-reimbursed program (often handled through the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council). The DA said the county’s current annual supplement to the office would need to increase: the DA provided a budget estimate showing the change would increase Madison County’s annual obligation by roughly $59,000 compared with current county-only staffing costs, and one-time or initial start-up costs for 2026 were estimated higher in the DA’s submission.
Discussion points: Commissioners asked whether other circuit counties had already converted similar positions and whether a circuit-wide contract model — like the public defender model — could be used. Office representatives said many other counties in the circuit have moved to the state-paid, county-reimbursed arrangement when the statutory framework allowed it and that the change would put the two Madison County staff on the same pay/benefit footing as other state-paid prosecutors’ office staff. Commissioners also raised concerns about budget pressure and fairness if additional county-supported employees seek similar conversions.
Next steps: The DA’s office asked the board to consider the supplemental funding request as part of the county’s 2026 budget process. Commissioners said they would review the DA’s submission and consider any broader circuit-wide contracting approach that would equalize funding across the counties before making a final decision.
Ending: The board did not make an immediate decision; members asked staff to include the DA request and cost estimates in the final 2026 budget discussion scheduled for the board’s upcoming meetings.
