Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Courts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bourbon County attorney asks for higher pay to retain prosecutors amid rising caseload
Summary
County Attorney James Kreutz told commissioners the office is short-staffed and faces recruiting challenges across rural Kansas. He requested a higher salary for a full-time assistant attorney to remain competitive with neighboring counties and said caseloads have risen sharply since 2022.
James Kreutz, Bourbon County Attorney, presented his office's budget and personnel request to commissioners, urging higher pay for an assistant county attorney to match regional market rates.
Kreutz said rural counties face a documented attorney shortage, and provided comparable salary ranges cited by nearby counties: examples included opening salaries and ranges from $72,500 up to more than $115,000 in larger jurisdictions. The county attorney's office asked to raise the assistant attorney salary above the previous-year request (which had been about $80,000) to remain competitive, citing multiple local and regional openings and higher salaries in neighboring counties.
Caseloads rose from 751 filings in 2022 to nearly 1,200 in 2024, Kreutz said, and the office is working through a backlog after a prior period with a sole attorney. The office is currently staffed with a full-time county attorney, one full-time assistant, and a contract part-time assistant; several legal assistant positions and a full-time office manager support operations.
Other budget items: The office asked for modest increases for appellate work contracted through the attorney general's office to match actual caseload, and a standard 3% increase for legal assistants. Kreutz said the part-time legal assistant who currently covers 20'to-30 hours a week plans to move to full time after summer, which will affect payroll lines.
Speakers quoted or identified in this article: James Kreutz, County Attorney (first referenced at 00:09:03).
